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I  took  my  spade  and  went  to  work  in  the  garden."  —  Page  10. 


THE    NARRATIVE 

OF 

CAPTAIN    COIGNET 

ii 

(SOLDIER    OF   THE  EMPIRE) 

1776-1850 

EDI1*ED  FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  MANUSCRIPT 

By  LOREDAN  LARCHEY 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH 

By  MRS.   M.   CAREY 


NEW    YORK 
THOMAS  Y.   CROWELL    <fc  CO. 

■if.  East  Fouktkknth  stkkkt 


Copyright,  1890,  by 
T.    Y.   Crowell   &   Co. 


Electrotyped  by 
C.  J.  Peters  &  Son. 


Press  of  Berwick  &  Smith. 


LOAN  STACK 


i~lT"GVP 


mo 


PREFACE. 


Jean-Roch  Coignet  was  pre-eminently  what  is  called  a  thorough- 
going man.  Whether  as  shepherd  or  wagoner,  stable-boy  or  farm 
hand,  soldier  or  captain,  we  find  him  always  ready  to  do  his  best. 
Whether  using  a  broom  or  drawing  a  sabre,  he  brings  to  bear  all  his 
mind,  all  his  buoyancy  of  spirit,  and  all  his  pride.  Consequently, 
the  perusal  of  his  life  rests  one  as  does  the  company  of  good  reliable 
men,  upon  whose  devotion  one  can  al  ways  count. 

It  will  be  seen  that  his  life  was  not  without  adventures,  and  that 
he  knows  how  to  relate  them  unusually  well.  One  is  not  a  story, 
teller  at  will.  It  is  a  natural  gift,  like  the  color-sense  of  the  great 
masters,  and  without  it  a  well-educated  person  will  often  find  nothing 
to  tell  about  a  journey  which  an  illiterate  man  so  gifted  will  describe 
in  the  most  eloquent  manner.  Our  old  captain  was  one  of  those  who 
possessed  this  gift.  He  was  uneducated,  and  he  acknowledges  the 
fact  without  hesitation.  He  did  not  know  how  to  read  or  write  until 
he  was  thirty-five  years  old.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two,  he  traced  the  big  schoolboy  characters  which 
cover  the  nine  blank-books  of  his  manuscript. 

How  could  he,  at  seventy-two,  remember  so  many  minute  details? 
The  fact  is  less  surprising  than  it  appears :  in  the  first  place,  the 
memory  of  early  years  becomes  more  vivid  as  age  increases,  and  in 
the  second  place,  Coignet  had  related  his  memories  all  his  life  long 
before  writing  them.  Just  so  the  bards  of  Homer  recited  his 
"Iliad." 

Are  Coignet\s  memorials  valuable  as  a  book  of  history  ?  I  do  not 
go  to  them  any  more  than  to  the  "  Iliad"  to  verify  facts,  as  we  say. 
I  do  not  even  stop  to  discuss  or  rectify  their  statements.  Their  inter- 
est is  altogether  of  another  kind.  As  is  the  case  with  all  those  who 
do  the  fighting,  our  soldier  knew  not  how  to  give  a  detailed  account 
of  the  operations  of  an  army  :  but  he  <rives  us  what  we  could  never 
learn  from  the  exact  report  of  the  chief  of  staff.     From  him  you  get 


397 


iv  PREFACE. 

the  face  of  the  combatant,  the  incidents  of  the  march,  the  color  of 
the  battle-field,  the  unforeseen  action,  the  hot  work  of  the  fi>ht,  — 
everything  that  is  spirited,  picturesque,  or  specially  exciting. 

We  know  the  whole  story,  doubtless,  but  how  much  better  we 
comprehend  it  here,  when  we  see  the  decorations  and  the  actors ! 
We  see  them  at  Montebello  when,  being  for  the  first  time  under  fire, 
our  hero  stoops  before  the  volley  of  grape-shot,  and  condemns  his 
weakness  immediately  by  answering,  "  I  will  not,1'  to  the  sergeant- 
major,  who  cries,  "Don't  duck  your  head."  We  find  them  at 
Marengo,  when,  thrown  down  and  sabred,  he  had  no  chance  to  save 
his  life  but  to  cling,  all  bleeding  as  he  was,  to  the  tail  of  a  dragoon's 
horse  till  he  could  rejoin  his  demi-brigade,  pick  up  a  gun,  and  fire 
even  better  than  before ;  in  the  icy  bogs  of  Poland,  where  he  was 
obliged  to  take  hold  of  each  leg  with  both  hands,  and  pull  it  out  of 
the  mud  in  order  to  take  a  step  forward;  at  Essling,  when  the 
Austrian  cannonade  made  the  bear-skin  caps  of  the  old  guard  fly 
about,  and  dashed  around  pieces  of  flesh  with  such  force  that  many 
were  knocked  down  by  them ;  on  the  road  to  Witepsk,  when,  with 
only  the  formality  of  drawing  lots,  we  see  seventy  marauders  shot, 
offered  up  as  a  last  sacrifice  to  the  expiring  discipline  of  the  grand 
army ;  at  Mainz,  during  the  horrors  of  the  typhus  fever,  the  final 
scourge  of  the  retreat,  when  it  was  necessary  to  bring  out  the  cannon 
to  force  the  convicts  to  cord-up  the  piles  of  dead  bodies  on  foraging 
wagons,  and  afterwards  dump  the  terrible  load  into  one  great  pit. 
By  the  side  Of  these  black  shadows  we  find  bright  lights,  charming 
pictures  of  rural  life,  amusing  scenes  of  bivouac,  reflections  no  less 
amusing  upon  the  countries  traversed,  and  infinitely  precious  details 
of  the  relations  of  the  chiefs  with  their  soldiers.  Particularly  does 
he  show  what  a  chief  may  get  out  of  our  troops,  when  he  knows  how 
to  win  their  esteem.  The  value  of  the  office  depends  upon  the  man 
who  fills  it;  and  when  the  man  is  worthless,  French  indiscipline 
leaps  at  one  bound  to  the  greatest  excess. 

For  this  reason  the  officers  risk  their  persons  in  every  danger, 
keep  a  constant  watch  over  their  soldiers,  and  associate  freely  with 
them  without  fear  of  losing  their  respect.  At  Mount  St..  Bernard 
they  tear  up  their  clothing  in  hitching  themselves  to  the  cannon  in 
the  difficult  passes.  If  a  trooper  does  a  brave  act,  they  embrace  him 
heartily,  and  make  him  drink  from  their  cups.  Courage  not  less 
than  rank  is  the  officer's  distinction.  At  critical  moments  generals  are 
seen  to  take  the  position  of  sharpshooters,  and  to  rally  fugitives 


PREFACE.  V 

under  fire  of  the  enemy.  Dorsenne,  knocked  down  by  the  explosion 
of  a  shell  in  the  midst  of  his  grenadiers,  immediately  rises,  and  cries 
out,  "Your  general  is  not  hurt.  Depend  upon  him,  he  will  die  at 
his  post."  Though  he  could  not  stand  upright,  as  Dorsenne  did,  that 
colonel  commanding  the  celebrated  battery  at  Wagram  was  nonr  the 
less  great,  who,  though  wounded  early  in  the  morning,  had  himself 
borne  in  an  ambulance  till  evening,  and  remained  at  the  head  of  his 
forces,  though  unable  to  sit  up.  "  He  commanded  sitting  up  in  bed," 
says  Coignet,  in  six  words  that  are  worth  as  much  as  a  picture. 

At  Kowno,  Coignet  sees  Ney  snatch  a  gun,  and  face  the  enemy 
with  five  men.  At  Brienne,  Prince  Berthier  charges  four  Cossacks, 
and  retakes  a  cannon  from  them.  At  Montereau,  Marshal  Lefebvre 
rides  at  a  gallop  over  a  broken  bridge,  and  sabres  a  rear-guard  with 
no  following  but  his  staff  officers.  With  such  examples  before  them, 
it  is  easy  to  believe  that  the  soldiers  did  not  remain  behind.  Thus, 
at  the  rout  of  the  Mincio,  the  sight  of  a  single  horseman  remaining 
alone  at  his  post  as  sharpshooter  suffices  to  rally  his  division.  The 
grenadiers  at  Essling  and  Wagram  contend  for  the  honor  of  dying 
as  voluntary  cannoneers  at  an  untenable  post.  At  Austerlitz  a  Mame- 
luke, who  had  already  captured  two  flags  in  a  cavalry  fight,  dashes 
in  a  third  time,  and  is  seen  no  more.  Nor  must  we  forget  that 
quartermaster  who,  having  his  leg  broken  on  the  field  of  Eylau, 
walks  off  alone  to  the  ambulance  with  two  guns  for  crutches,  saying 
that  with  his  three  pairs  of  boots  he  would  have  enough  to  last  a 
long  time.  We  recognize  this  as  mere  facetiousness ;  but  at  the 
point  when  the  gayest-hearted  can  laugh  no  longer,  facetiousness 
becomes  heroism. 

Is  all  this  really  true?  they  ask,  who  do  not  feel  within  themselves 
either  the  desire  or  the  power  to  do  so  much.  I  have  not  seen  it  any 
more  than  they ;  but  I  do  know  very  well  that  Coignet  is  a  story- 
teller of  the  first  order ;  that  he  has  the  gift  of  style  without  know- 
ing it.  I  have  always  observed  that  any  one  who  possesses  this 
merit  is  sure  to  possess  two  others:  that  of  feeling  intensely,  and 
that  of  expressing  his  feelings  with  absolute  sincerity.  I  have  also 
often  remarked  that  absolute  truthfulness  will  crown  as  an  author 
many  a  writer  who  would  fall  below  mediocrity  if  asked  to  lie ;  that 
is,  to  write  a  work  of  fiction. 

I  do  not  feel  that  Coignet  has  invented  anything.  lie  was  not 
capable  of  it.  But  did  this  Coignet  really  ever  exist  ?  I  know  that  this 
question  also  has  been  asked.    Certainly,  it  is  possible  to  doubt  even 


vi  PREFACE. 

thing,  and  to  believe  that  I  have  taken  the  trouble  to  fabricate  an 
original  manuscript.  That  also  has  been  said  to  me.  They  who 
consider  fiction  more  powerful  than  truth,  not  suspecting  that  the 
richest  imagination  will  always  fall  short  of  the  unforeseen  reality, 
will  continue  to  have  eyes  that  see  not. 

Let  these  sceptics  take  the  road  to  Auxerre.  Let  them  go  to  the 
municipal  library,  and  question  my  obliging  colleague  Molard,  to 
whom  I  owe  the  chance  of  obtaining  the  autograph  manuscript. 
Let  them  see  the  last  possessor  of  it,  M.  Lorin ;  let  them  demand 
an  interview  with  M.  Henri  Monceau,  who  gave  me  two  portraits 
of  Captain  Coignet,  and  who  also  afterwards  sent  me  an  extract  from 
his  will,  dated  Nov.  2,  1858,  and  written  in  the  office  of  Maitre 
Limosin.  At  Paris,  I  refer  them  to  the  offices  of  the  minister  of  war 
and  the  chancellor  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  thence  obtained 
duplicates  of  Coignet's  record  of  service  and  his  commissions.  Last 
May  I  saw  again  the  Cafe  Milon  and  that  grocery  at  the  corner  of 
the  Rue  des  Belles-Filles,  where  the  captain,  retired  on  half-pay, 
went  on  an  errand  to  grind  his  pound  of  coffee,  in  order  to  make  his 
offer  of  marriage  with  more  delicacy.  I  had  for  my  guide  M.  Mon- 
ceaux,  who  knew  Coignet  as,  indeed,  he  knows  everybody  and  every- 
thing in  old  Auxerre.  He  could  tell  many  things  about  him  to  those 
who  doubt. 

Proof  is,  therefore,  abundant.  There  is  no  room  for  them  here, 
for  an  illustrated  book  does  not  admit  of  the  expansion  or  the  com- 
pleteness of  apparatus  which  are  usual  in  the  publication  of  a  histori- 
cal document.  The  text  of  our  first  edition  has  not  been  changed ; 
but  it  has  been  reduced  so  as  to  make  an  edition  suitable  for  general 
readers.  As  a  compensation  for  this,  the  illustrations,  by  a  popular 
artist,  add  greatly  to  the  attractions  of  the  new  book.  Like  ourselves, 
fascinated  by  the  adventures  of  the  brave  Jean-Roch,  M.  Le  Blant 
has  identified  himself  with  his  hero.  His  pictures  have  the  charm  of 
truthfulness,  and  I  add  my  thanks  for  them  to  those  of  the  public. 

LOREDAN    L ARC HEY. 
Paris,  August  30,  1887. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK. 

PAGE 
MY   CHILDHOOD.  —I    AM    BY    TURNS    SHEPHERD,   WAGONER,    AND 
STABLE-BOY.  — I   LEAVE    MY   NATIVE  VILLAGE  A  SECOND  TIME. 

—  I   ENTER   THE    SERVICE   OF    M.    POTIER 1 

SECOND   NOTE-BOOK. 

DEPARTURE    FOR   THE    ARMY. — MY     MILITARY    LIFE    UP    TO    THE 

BATTLE   OF    MONTEBELLO 51 

THIRD  NOTE-BOOK. 

THi:    BATTLE   OF   MARENGO.  — EXCURSION    INTO   SPAIN   ...         71 

FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK. 

MY   DECORATION. —I    AM    POISONED.  —  RETURN    TO    MY   COUNTRY. 

—  THE  CAMP    OF    BOULOGNE    AND    THE    FIRST    AUSTRIAN    CAM- 
PAIGN   101 

FIFTH   NOTE-BOOK. 

PRUSSIAN    AND    POLISH     CAMPAIGNS.  —  CONFERENCE    AT    TILSIT. 

—  I     AM     MADE     CORPORAL. —  SPANISH     AND     AUSTRIAN     CAM- 
PAIGNS.—  I    AM    APPOINTED    SERGEANT 130 

SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK. 

RE-ENTRANCE  INTO  FRANCE. — THE  FESTIVITIES  OF  THE  IMPE- 
RIAL MARRIAGE.  —  I  DO  THE  DUTIES  OF  SKKOEAM -INSTRUCTOR, 
MESS-CHIEF,    AND    BAGG AGE-MASTEK 183 

SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK. 

THE     RUSSIAN    CAMPAIGN.— I     AM     APPOINTED     LIEUTENANT    ON 

THE    MINOR    IMPERIAL    STAFF. — THE    RETREAT  FHOM  MOSCOW,      206 


viii  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

EIGHTH   NOTE-BOOK. 

PAGE 
1    AM   APPOINTED    CAPTAIN.  —  CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813    AND    1814. — 

THE  FAKEWELLS  AT  FONTAINEBLEAU.  —  MY  VISIT   TO    COULOM- 

M1EKS  . 245 

NINTH    NOTE-BOOK. 

ON  HALF-PAY.  —  THE  HUNDRED  DAYS. — TEN  YEARS  OF  SUPER- 
INTENDENCE. —  MY  MARRIAGE. —  THE  REVOLUTION  OF  1830.— 
I   AM   APPOINTED   AN    OFFICER    IN    THE    LEGION    OF    HONOR  .      272 

DOCUMENTARY   EXTRACTS. 

STATEMENT  OF  THE  MILITARY  SERVICES  OF  COIGNET  (jEAN-ROCH). 
F AC-SIMILE  OF  A  PAGE  OF  THE  NOTE-BOOKS  OF  CAPTAIN 
COIGNET 315 


the 


NARRATIVE   OF   CAPTAIN   COIGNET. 


FIRST   NOTE-BOOK. 


MY  CHILDHOOD. I   AM    BY    TURNS    SHEPHERD,  WAGONER,  AND 

STABLE-BOY.  I  LEAVE  MY  NATIVE  VILLAGE  A  SECOND  TIME. 

I  ENTER  THE  SERVICE  OF  M.  POTIER. 

I  was  born  at  Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines,  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Yonne,  August  16,  1776. 

My  father  had  three  wives.  The  first  left  two  daughters ; 
the  second,  four  children,  —  a  girl  and  three  boys.  The  young- 
est was  six  years  old,  my  sister  seven,  I  was  eight,  and  my 
eldest  brother  nine,  when  we  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  our 
dear  mother.  My  father  married  again  the  third  time.  He 
married  his  servant,  who  bore  him  seven  children.  She  was 
eighteen  years  old,  and  was  called  a  beauty.  This  stepmother 
ruled  everything.  We  poor  little  orphans  were  beaten  night 
and  day.  She  choked  us  to  give  us  a  good  color.  Every  day, 
when  my  father  returned  from  hunting,  he  would  ask,  "My 
dear,  where  are  the  children  ?  "  and  my  stepmother  answered, 
"  They  are  asleep." 

Every  day  it  was  the  same  thing.  We  never  saw  our  father. 
She  took  every  means  to  prevent  our  finding  an  opportunity 


2  THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGN ET. 

to  complain.  However,  her  vigilance  was  at  fault  one  morn- 
ing, and  my  father  found  my  brother  and  me  with  tears  on  our 
cheeks.  " What  is  the  matter  ?"  he  asked.  "We  are  dying 
of  hunger.  She  beats  us  everyday." — "Come  with  me.  I 
will  see  about  this." 

The  result  of  this  information  was  terrible.  The  whippings 
did  not  cease,  and  the  bread  was  curtailed.  At  last,  not  being 
able  to  stand  it  any  longer,  my  elder  brother  took  me  by  the 
hand  and  said,  "  If  you  are  willing,  we  will  go  away.  Let  us 
each  take  a  shirt,  and  say  good-by  to  no  one." 

Early  in  the  morning  we  set  out,  and  went  to  Etais,  a  place 
about  an  hour's  walk  from  our  home.  It  was  the  day  of  a 
fair.  My  brother  put  a  bunch  of  oak  leaves  in  my  little  hat, 
and  hired  me  out  for  a  shepherd.  I  earned  twenty-four  francs 
a  year,  and  a  pair  of  wooden  shoes. 

I  went  to  a  village  called  Chamois.  It  was  surrounded  by 
a  forest.  I  served  as  a  watch-dog  for  the  shepherdess.  "  Go 
yonder,"  said  the  woman  to  me.  As  I  was  going  along  the 
edge  of  the  wood  so  as  to  keep  the  sheep  away  from  it,  a  big 
wolf  ran  out,  drove  the  sheep  back,  and  seized  upon  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  flock.  I  had  never  had  any  experience  with  such 
a  beast.  The  shepherdess  screamed,  and  told  me  to  run.  I 
hastened  to  the  spot.  The  wolf  could  not  throw  the  sheep  on 
his  back,  so  I  had  time  to  catch  hold  of  its  hind  feet,  and  the 
wolf  pulled  one  way  and  I  the  other. 

But  Providence  came  to  my  assistance.  Two  enormous  dogs, 
wearing  iron  collars,  rushed  out,  and  in  a  moment  the  wolf 
was  killed.  Imagine  my  joy  at  having  saved  my  sheep,  and 
seeing  the  beast  stretched  dead  upon  the  ground. 

I  served  the  shepherdess  as  watch-dog  for  a  year.  From 
there  I  went  to  the  fair  at  Entrains.  I  hired  myself,  out,  for 
thirty  francs,  a  blouse,  and  a  pair  of  wooden  shoes,  to  two  old 
farmers  of  Les  Bardins,  near  Menon,  who  sold  wood  on  the 
wharves,  and  who  made  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  francs 
by  my  labor. 

They  had  twelve  head  of  cattle,  of  which  six  were  oxen.  In 
the  winter  I  threshed  in  the  barn,  and  slept  on  the  straw.  I 
became  covered  with  vermin,  and  was  perfectly  wretched. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  3 

On  the  first  of  May  I  began  hauling  wood  to  the  wharves 
with  my  three  wagons,  and  always  returned  to  the  fields. 
Every  evening  my  master  came  and  brought  me  my  piece  of 
bread  and  an  omelet  made  of  two  eggs  cooked  with  leeks  and 
hemp-seed  oil.  I  only  went  to  the  house  on  Martinmas  Day, 
when  they  did  me  the  honor  to  give  me  a  bit  of  salt  pork. 

In  fine  weather  I  slept  in  the  beautiful  wood  belonging  to 
Madame  de  Damas.  I  had  my  favorite,  the  gentlest  of  my  six 
oxen.    As  soon  as  he  lay  down  for  the  night  I  was  beside  him. 


~c-y 


First  I  pulled  off  my  sabots,  and  then  I  poked  my  feet  under 
his  hind  legs  and  put  my  head  down  on  his  neck. 

But  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  my  six  oxen  arose 
without  noise,  and  my  comrade  got  up  without  my  knowing  it. 
Then  the  poor  herdsman  was  left  on  the  ground.  Not  knowing 
where  to  find  my  oxen  in  the  darkness,  I  put  on  my  wooden 
shoes  and  listened.  I  wandered  along  the  edge  of  the  young 
wood,  torn  by  briers,  which  made  the  blood  run  down  into  my 
sabots.  I  cried,  for  my  ankles  were  cut  to  the  bone.  Often, 
on  my  way,  I  used  to  encounter  wolves,  with  eyes  shining  like 
sparks,  but  my  courage  never  abandoned  me. 


4  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

At  last  I  would  find  my  six  oxen,  then  I  would  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross.  How  glad  I  was !  I  led  the  deserters  back 
to  my  three  wagons,  which  were  loaded  with  cord-wood,  and 
then  waited  till  my  master  came,  to  hitch  up  and  set  off  for 
the  wharf.  Then  I  returned  to  the  pasture,  and  the  master 
left  me  there  in  the  evening.  I  received  my  piece  of  bread, 
and  always  the  two  eggs  cooked  with  leeks  and  hemp-seed  oil. 
And  this  happened  every  day  for  three  years.  The  pot  was 
empty  under  the  kneading-trough.1  But  the  worst  of  it  was 
the  vermin  that  had  taken  possession  of  me. 

Not  being  able  to  endure  it  any  longer,  in  spite  of  all  possible 
entreaties,  I  left  the  village.  I  went  back  to  my  native  place 
to  see  if  they  would  recognize  me,  but  no  one  remembered  the 
lost  child.  Four  years  of  absence  had  made  a  great  change  in 
me,  and  no  one  any  longer  knew  me. 

I  reached  Druyes  on  Sunday ;  I  went  to  see  its  beautiful 
fountains  which  flowed  near  my  father's  garden.  I  began  to 
cry,  but  after  a  moment's  struggle  with  my  grief,  I  determined 
what  to  do.  I  washed  my  face  in  the  clear  water  where  for- 
merly I  had  walked  with  my  brothers  and  sisters. 

At  last  the  hour  sounded  for  mass.  I  went  to  the  church, 
my  little  handkerchief  in  my  hand,  for  my  heart  was  swelling. 
But  I  held  out.  I  went  to  mass,  and  knelt  down.  I  said  my 
little  prayer  looking  down.  No  one  paid  any  attention  to  me. 
However  I  heard  a  woman  say,  "  There  is  a  little  Morvandian 
who  prays  earnestly  to  the  good  God."  I  was  so  changed  that 
no  one  knew  me,  but  I  knew  everybody.  I  spoke  to  no  one  \ 
when  mass  was  over  I  went  out  of  the  church.  I  had  at  once 
recognized  my  father  who  sung  among  the  choristers  ;  little 
did  he  know  that  one  of  his  children  whom  he  had  abandoned 
was  so  near  him. 

I  had  walked  three  leagues,  and  was  very  hungry  when  I 
left  the  church  after  mass.  I  went  to  the  house  of  my  half- 
sister,  the  child  of  the  first  marriage,  who  kept  an  inn  ;  I 
asked  her  for  something  to  eat. 

"  What  do  you  want  for  dinner,  boy  ?  " 

1  i.e.,  bread  took  the  place  of  soup. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  5 

"  Half  a  bottle  of  wine  and  a  little  meat  and  bread,  madame, 
if  you  please." 

A  bit  of  stew  was  brought  to  me ;  I  ate  like  an  ogre,  and 
got  into  a  corner  so  I  could  see  all  the  country  people  who 
came  in  doing  the  same.  When  I  had  finished  my  dinner  I 
asked,  "  How  much  do  I  owe  you,  madame  ?  "  —  "  Fifteen  sous, 
my  boy."  —  "  There  they  are,  madame."  —  "  You  are  from  Mor- 
van,  are  you  not,  child  ?  "  — "  Yes,  madame,  I  have  come  to 
try  to  find  a  place." 

She  called  her  husband.  "  Granger,"  said  she,  "  here  is  a 
little  boy  who  wants  to  hire  himself  out."  —  "  How  old  are 
you  ?  "  —  "  Twelve,  sir."  —  "  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  "  — 
"  From  Menon."  —  "  Ah,  you  are  from  Morvan  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sir." 

—  "  Do  you  know  how  to  thresh  in  the  barn  ?  "  —  "Yes,  sir." 

—  "  Have  you  worked  at  it  already  ?  "  —  "  Four  years,  sir."  — 
"  How  much  do  you  ask  by  the  year  ?  "  —  "In  our  country,  sir, 
we  are  paid  in  grain  and  money."  —  "  Very  well,  if  you  like, 
you  shall  stay  here,  you  shall  be  the  stable-boy ;  all  the  tips 
shall  be  yours.  Are  you  accustomed  to  sleep  on  the  straw  ?  "  — 
"  Yes,  sir."  —  "  If  you  suit  me  I  will  give  you  a  louis  a  year." 
— "  That  is  sufficient,  I  will  stay ;  shall  I  pay  for  my  din- 
ner ?  "  —  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  am  going  to  set  you  to  work." 

He  took  me  into  the  garden,  which  I  had  known  long 
before  he  had,  and  in  which  I  had  enjoyed  all  my  childish 
frolics.  I  was  the  most  boisterous  one  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  my  companions  used  to  throw  stones  at  me  and  call  me  "  red 
head."  I  always  came  out  best,  being  never  afraid  of  blows  ; 
our  stepmother  had  accustomed  us  to  them.  I  remember  once 
my  nose  was  dirty  ;  she  took  hold  of  it  with  the  tweezers  to  wipe 
it,  and  was  wicked  enough  to  hurt  me.  "  1  will  pull  it  off,"  she 
said.     Consequently  the  tweezers  were  thrown  into  the  well. 

My  brother-in-law,  then,  took  me  into  his  garden  and  gave 
me  a  spade.  I  worked  a  quarter  of  an  hour;  then  he  said, 
"Well  done;  but  that's  enough ;  we  don't  work  on  Sunday." 

—  "  Well,"  said  my  sister,  "  what  shall  he  do  ?  "  —  "  He  shall 
wait  upon  the  table  ;  go  bring  some  wine  from  the  cellar.*"  I 
brought  a  basket  of  bottles  and  handed  some  to  each  one.  I 
ran  about  like  a  young  partridge. 


6  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

In  the  evening  they  gave  me  some  bread  and  cheese.  At 
ten  o'clock,  my  brother-in-law  took  me  to  the  barn  to  sleep, 
and  said,  "  You  must  get  up  early  so  as  to  thresh  the  grain, 
then  put  the  bread  into  the  oven  and  clean  the  stables 
nicely."  —  "  All  right,  it  shall  all  be  done." 

I  bade  my  master  good-night  and  rolled  myself  up  in  the 
straw.  Imagine  how  I  cried  !  If  any  one  could  have  seen 
me  he  would  have  found  my  eyes  as  red  as  a  rabbit's,  so  great 
was  my  mortification  at  the  idea  of  being  a  servant  in  my 
sister's  house  and  that  at  my  father's  door. 

I  awoke  easily  ;  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  crawl  out  of 
my  hole  and  give  myself  a  shake.  I  set  to  work  to  thresh 
the  grain  so  as  to  make  the  bread  by  eight  o'clock ;  then  I 
went  into  the  stable  and  put  every  thing  in  order,  and  at  nine 
o'clock  I  saw  my  master  appear.  "  Well,  Jean,  how  does  the 
work  come  on  ?  "  —  "  Not  badly,  sir."  —  u  Let  us  see  the  barn. 
Your  work  is  well  done,"  said  he ;  "  these  bundles  of  straw- 
are  well  made."  —  "  Ah,  sir,  at  Menon  I  threshed  the  whole 
winter."  —  "  Come  along,  my  boy,  come  to  breakfast." 

At  last  with  a  swelling  heart  I  went  into  the  house  of  that 
sister  whom  my  mother  had  raised  as  her  own  child.  I  took 
off  my  hat.  "  Wife,"  said  he,  "  here  is  a  little  boy  who 
works  well,  we  must  give  him  some  breakfast."  They  gave 
me  some  bread  and  cheese  and  a  glass  of  wine.  My  brother- 
in-law  said,  "You  must  make  some  soup  for  him."  —  "Very 
well,  I  will  to-morrow ;  I  got  up  too  late  this  morning." 

The  next  day  I  set  to  work,  and  at  the  regular  hour  I  had 
my  meal.  Ah !  what  a  surprise ;  I  found  an  onion  soup  and 
some  cheese  with  a  bottle  of  wine.  "  Do  not  be  bashful,  my 
boy,"  said  the  master ;  "  you  are  to  spade  in  the  garden." 
—  "Yes,  sir." 

At  nine  o'clock  I  started  off  to  my  work  with  my  spade  on  my 
shoulder.  What  was  my  surprise  to  see  my  father  watering 
his  cabbages  !  He  looked  at  me  ;  I  took  off  my  hat,  my  heart 
was  bursting,  but  I  tried  to  be  brave.  He  spoke  to  me,  ask- 
ing, "  Are  you  living  with  my  son-in-law  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sir ;  so  he 
is  your  son-in-law  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  my  boy.  Where  do  you  come 
from  ?  "  —  "  From  Morvan."  —  "  From  what  town  ?  "  —  "  From 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  7 

Menon;  I  worked  in  the  village  of  Les  Bardins." —  "Ah!  I 
am  well  acquainted  with  all  that  country.  Do  you  know  the 
village  of  the  Coignets  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sir ;  oh !  yes."  —  "  Well,  it 
was  built  by  my  ancestors."  —  "  Indeed,  sir  !  "  —  "  Have  you 
seen  the  splendid  forests  which  belong  to  Madame  de 
Damas  ?  "  —  "I  know  them  well.  I  kept  my  master's  oxen 
there  for  three  years ;  every  night  in  summer  I  slept  under 
the  fine  old  oaks."  —  "  But,  my  boy,  you  will  be  happier  with 


my  daughter."  —  "I  hope  so."  —  "  What  is  your  name  ?  "  — 
"Jean."  —  "  And  your  father's  ?  "  —  "  In  his  neighborhood  they 
call  him  'The  lover.'  I  don't  know  if  that  is  his  real  name." 
—  "  Has  he  any  children  ?  "  —  "  There  are  four  of  us."  — 
"  What  does  your  father  do  ?  "  —  "  He  hunts  in  the  woods  ;  l 
there  is  much  game  thereabout,  any  number  of  stags  and  hinds 
and  deer.  And  as  for  wolves,  it  is  full  of  them  ;  sometimes  I 
was  very  much  afraid  of  them.     Oh!  I  suffered  too  much,  so 


1  There  \va9  some  malice  in  theee  replies,  for  Cotgnet'a  father  was  not  famona 

either  for  his  conjugal  fidelity  or  for  his  respect  for  the  game  laws. 


8  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

I  came  away."  — "  You  did  right,  my  boy ;  work  away,  you 
will  be  happy  with  my  son-in-law." 

One  day  some  travellers  came  in  two  carriages.  I  put  their 
horses  in  the  stable,  and  the  next  day  I  got  a  franc  for  a  tip. 
How  pleased  I  was !  I  was  sent  to  the  cellar  to  rinse  some 
bottles,  and  I  did  it  well.  After  that  the  little  stable-boy  was 
set  at  all  sorts  of  work ;  they  made  me  trot  around.  It  was, 
"  Jean,  come  here,"  and  "  Jean,  go  there ; "  I  waited  on  the 
table,  I  did  duty  in  the  cellar,  the  stable,  the  barn,  and  the 
garden.  I  often  saw  my  father  and  said,  "  Good  morning, 
M.  Coignet."  (I  could  not  forget  that  name,  it  was  graven 
on  my  heart.)  "  Good  morning,  Jean ;  are  you  getting  tired, 
my  boy  ?  "  —  "  No,  sir,  not  at  all." 

Best  of  all,  I  earned  money  every  day.  At  the  end  of  two 
months  I  got  entirely  rid  of  the  vermin,  and  was  really  clean. 
My  Sunday  fees  and  the  stable  fees  together  amounted  to  six 
francs  a  week.  This  life  lasted  three  months,  during  which, 
to  my  great  grief,  I  had  heard  nothing  of  my  two  younger 
brothers  and  my  sister. 

Every  day  I  saw  two  of  the  companions  of  my  infancy 
who  lived  next  door.  I  spoke  to  them ;  the  younger  of  the 
two  came  to  see  me.  I  was  spading,  and  my  father  was 
in  the  garden.  "Good  morning,  M.  Coignet,"  said  young 
Allard  to  him.  "Ah!  that  you,  Tiline?"  That  was  my 
companion's  name.     And  my  father  went  away. 

Then  we  entered  into  conversation.  "  You  came  from  some 
distance  away,  didn't  you  ?  "  said  he  to  me.  "  I  came  from 
Morvan."  —  "  Is  Morvan  very  far  ?  "  —  "  Oh,  no  ;  only  five 
leagues.  M.  Coignet  knows  all  about  my  country.  There  is 
a  village  near  us  called  the  village  of  the  Coignets."  —  "Ah, 
that  wicked  man  has  lost  four  of  his  children.  We  grieved 
for  them,  my  brother  and  I,  they  were  such  jolly  companions.1 
We  were  always  together.  They  lost  their  mother  when  they 
were  very  young,  and  they  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  a 

i  Four  years  spent  in  the  woods  must  indeed  have  changed  our  hero,  if  none  of 
his  family  could  recognize  him.  But  it  must  be  observed  that  in  the  country,  and 
particularly  in  a  family  where  there  are  a  lot  of  little  children,  and  where  the  parents 
are  not  affectionate,  the  child's  face  is  not  so  impressed  upon  the  memory  as  in  the 
city.    Then,  also,  from  eight  to  twelve  years  a  child  changes  very  much. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  9 

stepmother  who  beat  them  every  day.  They  used  to  come 
to  our  house,  and  we  gave  them  some  bread,  for  they  had  had 
nothing  to  eat,  and  were  crying.  That  grieved  us  very  much. 
We  used  to  take  bread  in  our  pockets  and  carry  it  out  to  divide 
between  them.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  how  they  devoured  it. 
One  day  my  brother  said  to  me,  'Come,  let  us  go  to  see  the 
little  Coignets,  and  take  them  some  bread.'  To  our  surprise, 
we  found  that  the  two  elder  ones  had  gone  away,  and  no  one 
could  find  them.  The  next  day  there  was  no  news  of  them. 
We  told  our  father  about  it,  and  he  said,  '  Poor  children,  they 
were  so  unhappy  :  always  getting  beaten  ! '  I  asked  the  little 
one  and  his  sister  where  their  two  brothers  were.  They  an- 
swered that  they  had  gone  away.  '  But  where  ?  '  —  <  Ah,  I 
cannot  tell.'  My  father  went  over  to  inquire  of  Coignet,  their 
father.  '  I  hear  that  your  boys  have  gone  away  ?  '  He  an- 
swered, 'I  believe  that  they  have  gone  to  see  some  relatives 
near  the  Alouettes  mountains.  They  are  little  runaways.  I 
shall  thrash  them  when  they  come  back.'  " 

But  this  was  not  all.  Here  is  what  I  afterwards  learned. 
There  were  little  Alexander  and  Marianne  still  left  to  stand 
in  this  wicked  woman's  way.  She  was  anxious  to  lose  no  time 
in  getting  rid  of  them,  and  one  fine  day,  when  my  father  was 
in  the  country,  she  called  the  two  poor  little  ones  down,  and 
late  in  the  evening  she  took  them  by  the  hand  and  led  them 
as  far  as  she  could  into  the  forest  of  Druyes,  where  she  left 
them,  saying  she  would  return.  But  she  never  went  back ; 
she  abandoned  them  to  the  mercy  of  the  good  Lord.  Think 
of  their  wretchedness,  those  poor  little  things  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest,  in  the  dark,  with  nothing  to  eat,  and  not  knowing 
how  to  find  the  way  out !  They  remained  three  days  in  this 
pitiful  situation,  living  upon  wild  fruits,  crying  and  calling 
for  help.  At  last  God  sent  them  a  liberator.  He  was  known 
as  Father  Thibault,  a  miller  of  Beauvoir.  I  knew  him  after- 
wards, in  1804. 

My  two  companions  next  told  me  that  the  two  youngest  were 
no  longer  at  home.  "Poor  little  things  !  "  said  they,  "  nobody 
knows  what  has  become  of  them.  Every  one  talks  about  father 
Coignet  and  his  wife."     This  story  brought  the  tears  to  my 


10         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

eyes.  "  You  are  crying,"  said  they.  "  It  is  very  painful  to 
hear  such  tales  as  this."  —  "  Bless  me  !  they  got  beaten  every 
day,  and  their  father  has  never  tried  to  find  them." 

It  was  time,  however,  to  stop  talking,  for  I  had  heard  all 
that  I  could  bear.  I  returned  to  the  barn,  not  knowing  what 
I  ought  to  do,  whether  or  not  I  should  rush  into  the  house 
and  overwhelm  my  father  with  reproaches,  and  attack  that 
fury  of  a  stepmother,  who  was  the  cause  of  all  our  misfortune. 
I  turned  the  matter  over  in  my  little  head,  and  concluded  not 
to  create  a  scandal.  I  took  my  spade,  and  went  to  work  in  the 
garden.  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  my  stepmother  appear 
holding  a  little  brat  by  the  hand.  I  could  not  restrain  myself 
at  the  sight  of  this  horrible  woman.  I  came  very  near  betray- 
ing myself.  I  left  the  garden  as  she  approached  me,  and  sneaked 
out  behind  the  stables  to  cry  to  my  heart's  content.  I  began 
to  have  a  horror  of  the  garden.  Every  time  I  went  there  I 
found  either  my  father  or  my  mother,  whom  I  wished  to  avoid 
as  much  as  possible.  Many  a  time  I  was  tempted  to  creep 
through  the  fence  which  separated  the  two  gardens,  and  strike 
the  mother  and  her  child  a  blow  over  the  head  with  my  spade. 
But  God  restrained  me,  and  I  escaped. 

Now  the  scene  changes.  Providence  came  to  my  assistance. 
Two  horse-traders  came  to  spend  the  night  at  M.  Bomain's  (he 
kept  the  large  inn),  but  the  host  and  hostess  were  having  a 
fight  with  pitchforks,  so  the  men  came  to  my  sister's.  How 
glad  I  was  to  see  two  such  fine  gentlemen  come  to  the  house, 
and  on  such  fine  horses  !  What  a  godsend  it  was !  "  Little 
fellow,"  said  they,  "  put  our  horses  in  the  stable  and  give  them 
some  bran."  — "  Very  well,  gentlemen  ;  it  shall  be  attended  to." 

Then  they  went  into  the  house  and  ordered  a  good  supper, 
and  after  that  they  came  to  the  stable  to  see  their  nags,  which 
were  well  groomed,  and  standing  up  to  their  bellies  in  straw. 
"All  right,  my  little  boy,  we  are  quite  satisfied." 

The  smaller  one  said  to  me,  "  My  young  man,  could  you  go 
with  us  to-morrow  to  show  us  the  road  to  Entrains  ?  We  are 
going  to  the  fair,  but  our  horses  must  be  ready  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning."  —  "  Very  well,  gentlemen ;  I  promise  you 
they  shall  be  ready."  —  "It  is  three  leagues  off,  is  it  not?" 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  11 

— "  Yes,  gentlemen,  but  you  must  ask  madame's  permission 
for  me  to  go  with  you."  —  "  That  is  so.  We  will  ask  it  of  her." 
I  gave  some  oats  and  hay  to  the  horses  while  the  gentlemen 
stood  there,  and  then  they  went  to  bed,  so  as  to  get  up  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  go  to  the  fair  at  Entrains,  which  is 
called  Les  Brandons.     At  two  o'clock  the  horses  were  saddled. 

I  went  to  waken  the  gentlemen,  and  told  them  their  nags  were 
ready. 

I  saw  on  the  table  two  pistols  and  a  watch ;  they  made  it 
strike.  "  Half-past  two !  Very  well,  little  fellow.  Give 
them  some  oats,  and  we  will  set  out.  Tell  madame  that  we 
should  like  to  have  some  boiled  eggs  for  breakfast."  I  went 
to  rouse  my  sister,  who  hurried  as  fast  as  possible.  Then  I 
returned  to  the  stable  to  get  my  nags  ready.  The  gentlemen 
came  and  mounted.  "  Madame,  will  you  permit  us  to  take 
your  servant  along  to  guide  us  through  the  wood  ?  "  —  "  Cer- 
tainly, go  with  these  gentlemen,"  said  she. 

So  I  started  off.  As  soon  as  we  had  gotten  out  of  sight  the 
men  dismounted,  and  getting  on  each  side  of  me  asked  how 
much  I  earned  a  year.  "  I  can  tell  you  readily ;  some  money, 
some  shirts,  a  blouse,  and  a  pair  of  sabots.  Besides,  I  have 
some  fees  ;  T  cannot  tell  exactly  how  much  they  amount  to."  — 

II  Very  well,  is  it  worth  a  hundred  francs  to  you  ?  "  —  "  Oh, 
yes,  gentlemen."  —  "  Since  you  seem  to  be  an  intelligent  boy, 
if  you  will  come  with  us,  we  will  take  you  along  with  us, 
give  you  thirty  sous  a  day,  and  buy  you  a  horse  and  saddle. 
We  will  take  you  along  as  we  come  by  on  our  return.  If  you 
get  tired  of  us  we  will  pay  your  way  back."  —  "  Gentlemen,  I 
would  like  it  very  much,  but  you  do  not  know  anything  about 
me,  and  neither  do  the  people  in  the  inn.  So  I  will  tell  you 
my  history.  I  am  the  brother  of  the  tall  woman  at  whose 
house  you  spent  the  night."  —  "  It  is  not  possible ! "  —  "  I 
swear  it  is  true  !  " 

"  How  did  this  happen  ?  "  —  "  If  you  will  allow  me  I  will 
explain  it  to  you." 

Then  they  came  nearer  to  me  ;  they  took  me  by  the  arm. 
I  assure  you  they  were  all  attention.  "  Four  years  ago  I  was 
lost.     There  were  four  of  us  children.     The  bad  treatment  of 


12         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

our  stepmother  caused  us  to  leave  our  father's  house,  and  no 
one  has  recognized  me.  I  am  a  servant  in-  the  house  of  my 
half-sister  by  a  former  marriage  ;  you  can  assure  yourself  of 
the  fact  the  next  time  you  come  by."  And  here  I  began  to 
cry. 

"  Come,  do  not  cry  ;  we  will  write  a  line  which  you  shall 
take  to  madame,  who  will  send  you  to  Auxerre  for  one  of  our 
horses  which  fell  sick  at  the  inn  of  M.  Paquet,  near  the 
Temple  Gate.  Here  is  money  and  assignats  to  pay  the  veteri- 
narian and  inn-keeper ;  it  amounts  to  thirty  francs.  Bring 
him  slowly  along,  give  him  some  bran  at  Courson,  and  do  not 
mount  him." —  "No,  gentlemen.  But  you  must  not  speak  of 
me  to  my  sister."  —  "Make  yourself  easy,  my  little  fellow. 
Take  this  note  to  her,  and  to-morrow  you  shall  set  out  for 
Auxerre.  Take  good  care  of  our  horse.  We  shall  be  at  En- 
trains for  three  days.  When  you  see  our  horses  coming,  hold 
yourself  in  readiness.  Take  only  a  shirt  in  your  pocket."  — 
"All  right." 

I  parted  from  these  gentlemen  with  a  beating  heart.  When 
I  reached  home  they  said,  "  You  have  been  gone  a  long  time." 
—  "  Yes,  truly  ;  those  gentlemen  took  me  a  great  distance. 
Here  is  a  letter  which  they  gave  me  for  you,  and  money  and 
assignats  to  go  to  Auxerre  for  a  horse  that  is  sick  there."  — 
"  Well,  they  are  pretty  free."  —  "But  here  is  the  letter ;  that 
is  your  affair."  He  read  the  letter.  "  Very  well,  you  must 
start  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  you  will  have  to  make 
fourteen  leagues  to-morrow." 

That  night  I  did  not  close  my  eyes  ;  my  little  head  was 
turned  upside  down  by  all  that  had  just  happened  to  me.  I 
made  my  seven  leagues  in  five  hours,  and  at  eight  o'clock  I 
reached  the  house  of  M.  Paquet.  I  found  my  horse  in  good 
condition,  presented  my  letter  and  was  directed  to  the  house 
of  the  veterinary,  who  gave  me  a  receipt  for  his  payment. 
Then  I  returned  to  the  hotel,  settled  with  M.  Paquet,  set  off 
for  Druyes,  and  reached  home  at  seven  o'clock  exceedingly 
tired.  To  make  fourteen  leagues  in  one  day  was  too  much 
for  a  child  of  my  age.  However  I  groomed  my  horse,  made 
him  a  good  bed,  and   went  to  my   supper.     I  put  away  the 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  13 

receipts  and  three  francs  remaining  of  the  gentlemen's  money, 
and  then  laid  myself  down  in  my  straw.  Oh,  how  I  slept.  I 
took  only  one  long  nap. 

The  next  day  I  groomed  my  horse  in  the  best  possible 
manner  and  then  went  to  breakfast.  "  You  must  go  and 
thresh  in  the  barn,"  said  my  brother-in-law.  "  Very  well." 
I  threshed  until  dinner-time,  and  then  he  said,  "  You  must  go 
and  spade  in  the  garden." 

I  went,  and  there  I  found  my  father  and  my  stepmother. 
"Well,  here  you  are,  Jean."  —  "Yes,  M.  Coignet."  —  "You 
have  come  back  from  Auxerre  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sir."  —  "  You 
walked  fast.  Did  you  go  over  the  town  ?  "  —  "  No,  sir,  I  did 
not  have  time  to  see  much  of  it."  —  "  That's  true."  As  I  was 
about  to  leave  them  I  heard  my  stepmother  say  to  my  father, 
"  Granger  is  very  fortunate  to  have  such  an  intelligent  young 
fellow."  —  "  He  is  indeed,"  said  my  father.  "  How  old  are 
you  ?  "  —  "  Twelve  years,  sir."  —  "  Ah,  I  think  you  will  make  a 
fine  man."  —  "I  hope  so."  —  "  Continue  as  you  have  begun  ; 
every  one  is  pleased  with  you."  —  "  Thank  you,  sir." 

Then  I  retired  with  a  beating  heart. 

Every  day  I  went  into  the  garden  to  see  if  I  could  see  the 
horses  of  the  merchants  coming ;  they  could  be  seen  half  a 
league  off.  At  last  on  the  eighth  day,  I  saw  on  the  great 
white  road  a  large  number  of  horses  coming  towards  the 
town.  Each  man  led  only  one  horse  ;  they  were  not  yet  put 
in  pairs.  There  were  forty-five  of  them,  and  perhaps  more. 
I  hastened  at  once  to  the  house  to  get  my  best  waistcoat,  put 
on  one  shirt,  and  another  in  my  pocket,  and  then  I  went 
quickly  to  the  stable  to  saddle  the  gentlemen's  horse. 

I  had  scarcely  finished  when  I  saw  all  those  beautiful 
horses  go  by,  all  of  them  dappled  gray.  I  did  not  dare 
speak  to  those  Morvandians,  I  was  brimming  over  with  joy. 
The  last  one  had  still  not  passed  by  when  those  gentlemen 
rode  into  the  court  yard  with  three  horses.  "  Well,  my  little 
boy,  how  does  our  horse  come  on  ?  "  —  "  It  is  in  splendid  con- 
dition."—  "We  will  dismount  and  take  a  look  at  him.  Ah, 
he  is  entirely  well.  Give  him  to  our  boy  to  take  him  along  : 
he  has  not  yet  gone  by."     The  horses  continued  to  go  by.    As 


14 


THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


their  stud-groom  passed  :  "  Francis,  take  your  nag,  follow  the 
horses. " 

My   sister   appeared,   and   the   gentlemen    bowed   to    her. 
"  Madame,  how  much  do  we  owe  you  for  the  feeding  of  our 


horse  ?  "  —  "  Twelve  francs, 
gentlemen."  —  "  Here  they 
are,  madam e."  —  "  Do  not 
forget  the  boy." — "We  will 
attend  to  that." 

My  sister  looked  at  me  as 
I  went  out  with  the  horse. 
"See  here,"  said  she,  "you 
have  on  your  Sunday 
clothes."  —  "So  you  see."  — 
"Come,  to  whom  are  you 
speaking?"  —  "To  you."  — 


?/ef7/a 


-=■       "  "What  are  you  saying?"  — 

"  Yes,  to  you.  You  don't  un- 
derstand that  your  servant  is  your  brother  ?  "  —  "  What  ?  "  — 
"  That's  just  how  it  is.  You  are  a  bad  sister.  You  allowed 
me  and  my  little  brothers  and  sister  to  go  away.  Do  you  not 
remember  that  my  mother  paid  three  hundred  francs  to  have 
you  learn  the  linen-draper's    trade    under   Madame    Morin  ? 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  15 

You  have  no  heart.  My  mother  loved  you  as  she  did  us,  ami 
you  allowed  us  to  go  away." 

At  this  my  sister  cried  aloud.  "  Well,  madame,  is  it  true 
what  this  little  boy  says?  If  so,  it  was  a  cruel  thing."  — 
"  Gentlemen,  it  was  not  I  who  let  them  go  away  and  get  lost, 
it  was  my  father.  Ah,  the  miserable  man,  he  lost  four  of  his 
children." 

Hearing  the  cries  and  lamentations  of  my  sister,  the  neigh- 
bors came  running  in  to  see  me.  "  This  is  one  of  father 
Coignet's  children.  One  of  them  is  found."  And  my  sister 
and  I  wept.  One  of  the  gentlemen  who  held  me  by  the 
hand,  said,  "  Don't  cry,  my  little  fellow,  we  will  never 
abandon  you." 

My  little  companions  came  and  embraced  me.  My  father, 
who  heard  the  hubbub,  came  in.  All  cried  out,  "  Here  is  this 
M.  Coignet  who  has  lost  his  four  children."  And  I  said  to 
the  gentlemen,  "That  is  my  father,  gentlemen."  —  "Here  is 
one  of  your  children,  sir,  and  we  are  going  to  take  him  away 
with  us."  Then  said  I,  "  O  heartless  father,  what  have  you 
done  with  my  two  brothers  and  my  sister  ?  Go  find  that 
wretch  of  a  stepmother  who  beat  us."  — "  That  is  so,"  they 
all  cried  out,  "he  is  a  bad  father,  and  their  stepmother  is 
still  worse." 

Every  one  continued  to  crowd  around  me,  but  these  gentle- 
men kept  hold  of  my  arm.  "  Come,  let  us  mount,"  said  M. 
Potier  (the  smaller  of  the  two),  "we  have  had  enough  of 
this.  Let  us  go  ;  get  on  your  nag."  Then  all  followed  me 
out,  crying,  "  Good-by,  little  fellow,  a  happy  journey  to  you  !  " 
My  little  companions  came  and  embraced  me,  and  the  scalding 
tears  flowed  down  my  cheeks  as  1  said,  "  Good-by,  my  good 
friends." 

lie  gentlemen  placed  me  between  them,  and  we  rod.'  along 
between  two  rows  of  people.  The  men  took  off  their  hats. 
and  the  women  courtesied  to  the  gentlemen.  As  for  me,  i 
cried,  with  my  little  hat  in  my  hand. 

"We  will  trot  up  the  mountain,"  said  the  gentlemen. 
"Let  us  catch  up  with  our  horses.  Come,  little  fellow,  be 
brave!"     We  passed  the  horses  as  they  were  coining  out  of 


16         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

the  wood,  reached  Conasom,  and  went  to  the  great  hotel  of 
M.  Baveneau,  where  I  visited  the  stables  and  had  all  neces- 
sary preparations  made  for  forty-nine  horses.  The  gentlemen 
ordered  supper  for  forty-five  men,  not  including  the  masters. 

On  arriving,  the  horses  were  divided  into  groups  of  four, 
so  as  to  pair  them  off  the  next  day,  and  they  were  attached 
to  two  tethers.  This  was  the  first  time  that  these  horses  had 
been  placed  side  by  side.  It  was  time  to  give  the  gay  beasts 
their  hay  and  oats ;  I  was  afraid  we  should  not  be  able  to 
manage  them,  for  they  were  rearing  like  mad  creatures.  I 
began  to  beat  them  ;  I  did  not  leave  them  a  moment,  and  the 
masters  laughed  as  they  saw  me  strike  first  one  and  then 
another.  At  seven  o'clock  the  gentlemen  came  to  look  after 
and  order  supper  for  their  men,  who  numbered  forty -five ; 
they  paid  them  their  day's  wages,  retaining  as  many  of  them 
as  they  needed  for  the  next  day,  set  a  watch  in  the  stables 
for  the  night,  and  took  me  away  with  them.  "  Let  us  go  to 
supper,"  said  they;  "come  with  us,  boy;  we  will  come  back 
and  see  them  again  after  awhile." 

To  my  astonishment  I  saw  a  table  served  as  if  for  princes ; 
soup,  boiled  beef,  a  duck  cooked  with  turnips,  a  chicken, 
salad,  dessert,  and  sealed  wine.  u  Sit  there  between  us  and 
eat.  What  a  brave  boy  you  are  ! "  The  king  was  not  happier 
than  I.  "See  here,"  said  M.  Potier,  "you  must  put  a  leg  of 
chicken  and  some  bread  in  a  piece  of  paper  to  eat  as  you  go 
along,  for  we  shall  not  stop  until  bed-time.  You  will  find 
boys  at  the  inns  who  will  hand  each  man  a  large  glass  of 
wine  as  he  passes,  without  stopping  him,  and  all  will  be  paid 
for.     You  must  keep  behind  as  much  as  possible." 

Next  morning  we  divided  the  horses  into  groups  of  four, 
fastened  them  together  with  poles  padded  with  straw  (this 
took  a  good  deal  of  time),  and  then  started  off.  Every  day  I 
was  treated  just  as  I  had  been  the  first  day.  What  a  change 
in  my  condition  !  How  glad  I  was  to  sleep  in  a  good  bed ! 
The  poor  little  orphan  no  longer  slept  in  the  straw.  And  I 
had  a  good  supper  ever}'  day.  I  regarded  these  gentlemen  as 
messengers  sent  by  God  to  help  me. 

We  reached  Nangis-en-Brie  a  week  before  the  fair,  and  I 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  17 

had  time  to  become  acquainted  with  my  two  masters.  One 
was  named  ML  Potier  and  the  other  M.  Huze.  The  latter  was 
good-natured,  witty,  and  polite ;  M.  Potier  was  small  and 
ugly.  "If  I  could  only  live  with  M.  Huze,"  I  thought. 
But  I  was  mistaken  ;  it  was  at  the  house  of  M.  Potier  that  a 
happy  fate  awaited  me. 

On  Friday  I  left  Nangis  for  Coulommiers.  At  three  o'clock 
I  rode  into  the  great  court-yard,  mounted  on  my  pretty  nag, 
as  proud  as  a  pacha  with  three  queues.  Madame  came  out 
and  said,  "  Well,  my  boy,  but  is  not  your  master  coming  this 
evening  ? n  — "  No,  madame,  he  will  not  be  here  till  to- 
morrow."—  "  Have  your  horse  put  in  the  stable,  and  you  come 
with  me."  As  I  went  in  walking  by  madame's  side,  four  big 
housemaids  cried  out,  "Ah!  there  he  is,  there  is  the  little 
Morvandian."  This  hurt  my  feelings,  but  with  my  little  hat 
in  my  hand  I  followed  madame.  "  Go  away,"  said  she,  u  let 
the  child  alone.     Go  to  your  work.     Come,  little  fellow." 

How  beautiful  she  was,  this  Madame  Potier !  for  it  was  in 
fact  the  wife  of  the  little  man  concerning  whom  I  had  had 
misgivings.  I  did  not  know  it  till  the  next  day.  I  was  so 
astonished  to  see  such  a  beautiful  wife,  and  such  an  ugly 
husband. 

"Come,"  she  added,  "you  must  eat  something,  and  have  a 
glass  of  wine,  for  we  do  not  have  supper  till  seven  o'clock." 

Then  madame  made  me  tell  her  all  about  our  journey,  and 
I  also  told  her  that  all  the  horses  were  sold.  "  Are  you 
pleased  with  your  master  ?  "  —  "Oh,  madame,  I  am  delighted." 
—  "  Well,  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it ;  my  husband  has  written 
me  that  you  are  a  very  promising  boy."  —  "  Thank  you, 
madame." 

At  seven  in  the  evening,  supper  was  served.  That  was 
Friday.  I  was  called  and  told  to  seat  myself  at  the  table.  I 
found  before  me  a  table  served  as  if  for  a  great  feast,  a  ser- 
vice of  silver,  silver  goblets,  and  two  baskets  of  wine.  I  was 
surprised  also  to  rind  twelve  servants :  a  miller,  wagoners,  a 
farm-hand,  milkmaid,  chambermaid,  baker-woman,  and  maid 
of  all  work.  Six  others  had  gone  to  Paris  with  wagons  to 
take  flour  to  the  bakers ;  they  went  there   for  this  purpose 


18 


THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


every  week.  Coulommiers  is  fifteen  leagues  from  Paris. 
There  were  two  dishes  of  matelote  on  the  table.  The  feast 
seemed  ordered  to  suit  my  especial  taste. 

A  seat  was  given  me  beside  a  big,  good-natured  fellow,  and 
madam e  asked  him  to  help  me.  He  gave  me  a  piece  of  carp ; 
I  felt  mortified  to  see  my  plate  so  full  of  fish.     I  could  have 


made  two  meals  on  the  quantity  he  gave  me.  He  saw  that  I 
ate  very  little,  so  he  put  a  piece  of  bread  in  his  pocket,  and 
gave  it  to  me  when  he  came  to  the  stable,  saying,  "  You  did 
not  eat  anything,  you  were  too  bashful."  Ah !  how  I  de- 
voured it  then,  at  my  leisure,  that  nice  piece  of  white  bread ! 
At  nine  o'clock,  a  big  maid  came  to  make  a  bed  for  me  in  the 
stable.  I  was  comfortably  lodged ;  a  feather  bed,  a  mattress, 
and  nice  white  sheets.     I  felt  very  happy. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  19 

Next  morning  my  big  comrade  took  me  to  the  dining-hall, 
where  I  breakfasted  with  my  half  bottle  of  wine,  and  cheese. 
Mon  Dieu,  what  cheese  it  was !  it  was  like  cream.  And 
Gonesse  bread  and  native  wine.  I  asked  him  what  I  should 
do.  "  Wait  till  madame  gets  up,  she  will  tell  you."  —  "  Well, 
I  will  go  and  groom  and  water  my  nag,  and  clean  out  the 
stable."  I  was  crazy  to  be  at  work.  The  stable-boy  had 
gone  to  town,  so  I  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to 
clean  out  all  the  stables. 

Madame  came  out  and  found  me  with  my  coat  off,  and  a 
broom  in  my  hand.  "  Who  told  you  to  do  that  ?  "  —  "  No 
one,  madame."  — "  Very  well,  but  that  is  not  your  work ; 
come  with  me.  Each  one  has  his  special  work  to  do  in  this 
house ;  but  you  have  done  this  well.  When  my  husband 
comes,  he  will  tell  you  what  you  must  do.  Let  us  go  into 
the  garden ;  take  this  basket,  we  will  gather  some  vegetables. 
Do  you  know  how  to  spade?"  —  "Yes,  madame."  —  "So 
much  the  better.  I  will  have  you  spade  in  our  garden  some- 
times, for  at  our  house  each  one  has  his  own  work ;  they  do 
not  interfere  with  one  another." 

I  went  back  to  the  house,  and  paid  a  visit  to  the  mills  of 
Chamois.  On  my  return,  I  was  surprised  to  find  my  two  mas- 
ters, who  were  looking  for  madame.  "  So,  here  you  are,  my 
dear,"  said  Madame  Potier  to  her  ugly  husband,  for  it  was 
indeed  the  one  to  whom  I  had  least  desire  to  belong.  He 
was,  however,  the  superior  man  of  the  two,  both  in  fortune 
and  in  heart.  M.  Huzo  bade  me  good-morning  and  went 
away.  I  was  sent  for.  "Wife,"  said  my  master,  "here  is  a 
child  whom  I  have  brought  you  from  Burgundy:  he  is  a 
promising  boy,  and  I  can  recommend  him  to  you.  I  will  tell 
you  his  history  later."     And  there  I  stood,  much  abashed. 

•Well,"  said  he,  "are  you  feeling  blue,  my  boy?  Come, 
let  us  go  and  see  the  horses."  Then  he  showed  me  all  the 
stables  and  mills.  All  the  servants  bade  their  master  good- 
morning.  He  did  not  seem  like  a  master,  he  was  a  father  to 
every  one.     A  disagreeable  word  never  fell  from  his  lips. 

"  To-morrow,"  said  he  to  me,  "  we  will  go  out  on  horseback, 
and  I  will  show  you  my  farms  and  the  laborers.     You  must 


20         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

become  acquainted  with  everything  that  belongs  to  me."  I 
said  to  myself,  "  What  is  he  going  to  do  with  me  ? "  He 
spoke  to  his  farm-hands  and  to  all  his  workmen  in  the 
pleasantest  manner.  Then  he  said  to  me,  "  Come,  let  us  go 
and  see  my  meadows."  And  all  the  time  he  talked  to  me 
most  kindly.  "  Pay  attention  to  everything  I  show  you,  and 
to  the  landmarks,  for  I  may  send  you  sometimes  to  go  the 
rounds  among  my  farm-hands  and  other  workmen,  so  as  to 
inform  me  of  what  is  going  on."  — "  You  may  rest  assured 
that  I  shall  render  you  a  faithful  account  of  everything."  — 
"  I  shall  have  to  make  you  thoroughly  acquainted  with  every- 
thing. You  must  always  take  your  horse,  for  the  distances 
are  great."  We  had  been  out  more  than  three  hours,  when 
he  said,  "Come,  let  us  return  to  the  house.  To-morrow  we 
will  go  somewhere  else." 

In  this  way  he  made  me  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  his 
business.  We  spent  eight  days  in  going  from  one  place  to 
another.  The  ninth  day  a  terrible  storm  arose.  WTater  came 
from  every  direction,  and  surrounded  the  house ;  no  one  could 
get  out.  The  horses  were  all  in  the  stables.  Neither  master 
nor  miller  could  go  out.  I  ran  from  one  stable  to  the  other, 
for  the  water  was  rising  rapidly.  At  last  I  was  obliged  to 
paddle  like  a  duck.  The  horses  stood  in  it  up  to  their 
haunches,  but  it  still  had  not  penetrated  the  house. 

There  were  three  pig-sties  in  which  the  pigs  ran  great  risk 
of  being  drowned,  as  they  were  in  the  basement.  M.  Potier 
sent  for  me,  and  said,  "  Try  to  save  the  pigs."  —  "  All  right,  I 
will  go  at  once,"  said  I.  I  plunged  into  the  water.  At  first 
I  thought  it  would  be  impossible  to  do  it,  but  upon  reaching 
the  first  door,  I  punched  a  hole,  and  the  water  helped  me  to 
open  it.  In  a  moment  my  six  big  pigs  were  out  and  swim- 
ming like  ducks.  I  did  the  same  thing  to  the  two  other  sties, 
and  thus  saved  all  of  the  eighteen  pigs.  Every  one  in  the 
house  was  looking  at  me  from  the  windows.  M.  Potier,  who 
*  did  not  lose  sight  of  me  for  a  moment,  directed  me  all  the 
time.  "  Is  the  small  gate  of  the  courtyard  closed  ?  "  —  "  No, 
sir."  —  "  Then  the  pigs  will  go  through,  they  will  follow  the 
course  of  the  waters." 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK. 


21 


I  set  out  to  cross  the  courtyard,  but  the  water  was  too 
strong  for  me :  I  was  too  late.  One  of  the  pigs  was  just  going 
through  the  gate,  borne  on  by  the  current.  M.  Potier,  who 
saw  that  one  pig  had  escaped  me,  ran  to  the  corner  of  the 
house,  and  called  to  me,  "  Take  your  nag,  and  try  to  get  ahead 
of  him." 

I  ran  to  the  stable,  put  a  bridle  on  my  nag,  and  dashed 

into  the  water  to  catch  my  deserter.     M.  Potier  cried  to  me, 

"  Carefully,  bear  to  the  right."     But  his  words  were  lost.     I 

went  too  far  to  the  left.     I  plunged 

into    a    hole   where    lime   had   been 

slacked.     With  one  bound  my  horse 


sZXSgV  *v*Jjy 


with  the  right  hand,  I  wiped  off  my  face,  and  followed  my 
pig  which  was  going  swiftly  down  the  meadow.  Finally, 
though  I  had  a  hard  struggle  with  the  water,  I  got  ahead  of 
my  pig.  When  I  got  his  snout  turned  towards  the  house,  he 
went  as  I  directed.  On  reaching  the  courtyard,  I  slipped  off 
my  horse,  perfectly  stiff  with  cold.  My  masters  were  waiting 
for  me  on  the  stairway,  and  the  stout  maids  stared  at  the 
poor  little  orphan  all  dripping  and  pale  as  death.  But  I  had 
saved  my  master's,  pig.  * 

"Come,  my  dear,"  said  my  host  and  hostess,  "come  change 
your  clothes."  They  took  me  into  their  beautiful  chamber, 
where  a  bright  fire  was  burning,  and  stripped  me  as  naked  as 


22         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

I  came  into  the  world.  "Drink,"  said  they,  "some  of  this 
warm  wine."  Then  they  wiped  me  dry  as  tenderly  as  if  I  had 
been  their  own  child,  and  wrapped  me  in  a  blanket.  M.  Potier 
said  to  his  wife,  "  My  dear,  if  you  would  bring  him  one  of 
my  new  shirts,  he  might  try  it  on."  —  "  Sure  enough,  the  poor 
little  fellow  has  only  two  of  his  own."  —  "  Very  well,  we  must 
give  him  half  a  dozen.  See  here,  he  must  be  rewarded  for  his 
good  conduct.  I  shall  make  him  a  present  of  that  pair  of 
pantaloons  and  round  waistcoat  you  had  made  for  me.  He 
shall  be  dressed  entirely  in  a  new  suit."  —  "You  are  right, 
my  dear.  I  shall  be  delighted."  M.  Potier  added,  "  You 
shall  be  paid  eighteen  francs  a  month,  and  the  fees,  three 
francs  a  horse."  —  "  Monsieur  and  madame,  how  much  I  thank 
you."  —  "You  deserve  the  reward.  Just  suppose  you  had 
been  drowned  trying  to  save  the  pig  !  " 

I  imagined  myself  dressed  like  the  master  of  the  house. 
Lord,  how  proud  I  felt !  I  was  no  longer  the  little  Morvan- 
dian.  But  as  they  were  getting  ready  to  dress  me  up,  I  said, 
"  Master,  I  must  not  put  on  those  clothes.  I  shall  have  to  go 
back  to  my  work.  The  horses  and  pigs  must  be  cared  for, 
and  I  should  spoil  them  all."  —  "  You  are  right,  my  child." 

Then  they  went  for  some  clothes  belonging  to  their 
nephew,  and  soon  I  was  dressed  in  a  working  suit.  There 
was  no  one  at  the  stables.  The  stable-boy  had  gone  to  town, 
and  the  millers  would  not  set  foot  into  the  water.  They  gave 
me  a  large  glass  of  Burgundy,  well  sweetened,  and  I  waded  in 
again.  I  gave  the  horses  their  hay.  I  stopped  my  pigs  up  in 
an  empty  stable.  In  order  to  accomplish  this,  I  got  a  long 
pole,  drove  all  my  fat  fellows  before  me,  and  finally  got  them 
under  control.  I  am  sure  I  must  have  paddled  about  in  the 
water  two  hours  that  day.  By  the  evening,  the  water  had 
disappeared,  and  the  wagoners  came  in  from  all  directions.  I 
returned  to  the  house,  changed  all  my  clothes,  and  went 
immediately  to  bed.  The  sweet  wine  made  me  sleep.  Next 
day  I  thought  no  more  about  it. 

My  master  and  mistress  sent  for  me,  took  me  into  their 
chamber,  and  put  an  entirely  new  suit  on  ine.  After  break- 
fast, M.   Potier  said  to  the  stable-boy,   "Saddle  our  nags." 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  23 

Then  we  set  off  to  see  the  large  farmers,  and  buy  grain. 
My  master  bought  ten  thousand  francs  worth,  and  they 
treated  us  as  friends.  Doubtless  M.  Potier  had  spoken  to 
these  farmers ;  for  they  paid  me  much  attention,  and  I  was 
seated  at  table  next  my  master.  I  must  say  I  had  been  much 
smartened  up.  I  looked  like  a  secretary.  If  they  had  only 
known  that  I  did  not  know  a  letter  in  the  alphabet !  How- 
ever, M.  Potier's  clothes  served  me  as  a  passport  with  these 
gentlemen.  All  went  well,  and  after  dinner  we  started  off  at 
a  gallop,  and  reached  home  at  seven  o'clock.  I  found  that 
my  place  at  table  had  been  changed ;  my  plate  was  beside 
M.  Potier  on  the  left,  while  madame's  was  on  the  right. 
Then  the  head  miller  was  next  to  madame,  who  served  to  our 
masters  first.  I  ought  to  observe  that  my  master  and  mistress 
always  sat  at  the  end  of  the  table.  It  was  like  a  family  table. 
We  never  said  "  thee  "  to  any  one,  always  "  you."  On  Sunday 
the  master  asked,  "  Who  wants  his  wages  advanced  ?  " 

When  all  the  servants  were  assembled,  M.  Potier  said  to 
them,  "  I  have  appointed  this  young  man  to  take  my  orders  to 
you.  I  shall  give  him  the  keys  to  the  hay  and  oats.  He  is 
to  distribute  to  all  the  teams."  Every  one  looked  at  me,  and 
I,  knowing  nothing  of  all  this  arrangement,  was  overcome 
with  confusion,  and  could  not  look  up.  At  last  my  master 
said  to  me,  "  Get  ready  to  go  to  town  with  me ; "  I  was  glad  to 
get  away  from  the  table. 

M.  Potier  gave  me  his  keys,  saying,  "  I  must  be  off,  we  are 
going  to  see  some  large  wheat-barns.  Say,  are  you  satisfied 
with  what  I  have  done  for  you  ?  My  wife  will  take  care  of 
you."  —  "I  will  do  everything  I  possibly  can  to  please  you." 
The  next  day,  the  bell  rang  to  call  me  to  give  the  order  which 
I  was  to  transmit  to  all  the  servants.  The  head  man  said  to 
me,  " What  is  it,  sir ? "  —  "I  am  not  ' sir.'  I  am  your  good 
comrade ;  tell  them  all  so.  I  am  hired  as  you  are.  I  do  my 
work.  I  shall  never  abuse  the  confidence  of  my  master  and 
mistress,  and  I  have  need  of  your  counsels."  —  "As  I  am  the 
oldest  one  in  the  house,  you  can  rely  on  me,"  he  replied. 

I  can  truly  say  that  every  one  was  pleasant  to  me.  As  I 
had  charge  of  the  distribution  of  the  bran  and  oats  and  hay, 


24         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGN ET. 

each  one  paid  court  to  me  so  as  to  be  sure  of  good  measure. 
M.  Potier  scolded  me  when  he  found  bran  left  in  the  troughs. 
"  My  horses  are  too  fat ;  I  must  see  to  it  that  this  does  not 
happen  again.  They  must  not  give  them  such  big  feeds."  — 
"  Tell  me  the  quantity  of  bran  and  oats,  and  I  will  measure  it 
out  myself.  They  take  their  baskets  and  go  to  the  mill  to  fill 
them.  Hereafter  not  one  of  them  shall  step  his  foot  there. 
Each  man's  feed  shall  be  placed  at  his  stalls."  —  "  That  is  a 
good  idea,"  said  my  master.  When  the  wagoners  and  farm- 
hands returned,  and  found  each  man's  feed  measured  out,  they 
asked,  "  Who  measured  out  our  feed  ?  "  — "  You  got  me  a 
scolding.  The  master  himself  measured  the  bran  and  the 
oats,  and  told  me  to  allow  no  other  person  to  do  it,  and  I 
shall  see  to  it,  you  may  be  sure." 

The  next  day  two  big  farmers  came  to  breakfast.  M.  Potier 
rang  for  me,  and  said,  "  Go  to  my  cabinet,  and  bring  me  ten 
bags  of  money."  I  brought  them.  Good  Lord,  what  piles  of 
crowns  there  were  in  those  bags !  I  stood  hat  in  hand. 
"Jean,"  said  he,  "have  the  nags  saddled.  We  shall  go  away 
with  these  gentlemen."  And  madame  said,  "Dress  yourself 
neatly.  Here  is  a  handkerchief  and  a  cravat."  She  was  so 
good  as  to  arrange  my  dress,  and  said,  "Now  go,  my  little 
fellow,  you  are  all  right." 

How  proud  I  was !  I  brought  out  my  master's  horse,  and 
held  the  bridle.  This  flattered  him,  in  presence  of  the  gentle- 
men :  he  told  me  so  afterwards.  They  all  mounted  and  started 
off.  I  followed  behind,  plunged  in  my  own  little  reflec- 
tions. We  went  to  a  fine  farm,  where  our  horses  were  put  in 
the  stable,  and  I  remained  in  the  courtyard  looking  at  the 
beautiful  mows  of  wheat  and  hay.  A  servant  came  to  call  me 
to  dinner.  I  excused  myself  with  thanks.  But  the  master  of 
the  house  came  and  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  said  to  my 
master,  "  Have  him  placed  near  you  at  the  table."  I  was  not 
at  my  ease.  After  the  first  course,  I  rose  from  the  table. 
"  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  said  the  host.  "  M.  Potier  has 
permitted  me  to  retire."  —  "  Then  we  excuse  you." 

I  was  flattered  at  being  seated  at  a  table  so  well  appointed. 
I  shall  always  remember  it.     After  dinner,  the  farmer's  wife 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK. 


25 


invited  me  to  see  her  dairy.  I  never  saw  anything  so  neat. 
There  were  spigots  everywhere.  "  Every  fortnight,"  said  she, 
"  I  sell  a  wagon-load  of  cheeses.  I  have  eighty  cows."  She 
took  me  into  the  dining-room  to  show  me  her  cooking  arrange- 
ments. Everything  was  bright  and  clean.  The  table  and 
benches  were  all  polished.  Scarcely  knowing  what  to  say  to 
this  kind  woman,  I  remarked,  "  I  will  tell  Madame  Potier  of 
all  that  I  have  seen."  —  "We  go  to  her  house  three  times 
during  the  winter  to  dine  and  spend  the  evening.  How 
pleasant  M.  and  Madame  Potier  are  in  their  own  house  ! " 

The  gentlemen 
then  came  in,  and 
I  retired.  M.  Po- 
tier beckoned  to 
me  and  put  twenty- 
four  sous  in  my 
hand.  "  Give  that 
to  the  stable-boy ; 
have  the  horses 
saddled,  we  must 
go."  Our  two  nags 
were  brought  out. 
The  handsome 
farmer's  wife  said 
to  M.  Potier,  "Your 
servant's  horse  is  beautiful.  It  would  just  suit  me.  If  my 
husband  were  as  gallant  as  he  should  be,  he  would  buy  it  for 
me,  for  mine  is  very  old."  — "Very  well,"  said  the  latter,  "we 
will  see  about  it.  Do  you  want  to  try  it  ?  Have  your  saddle 
put  on  it,  and  get  on.     You  can  see  how  it  goes." 

The  side-saddle  was  brought.  I  said,  "  Madame,  he  is  very 
gentle,  you  can  mount  without  fear." 

So  madame  mounted,  and  started  off  at  a  trot,  leading  first 
with  the  right  foot,  and  then  with  the  left,  saying,  "  He  has 
an  easy  trot.  Do,  husband,  make  me  a  present  of  this  nag." 
—  "Well,  M.  Potier,  she  must  have  it,"  said  her  husband. 
"We  will  arrange  it.  How  much  will  you  take  for  it?"  — 
"Three   hundred  francs."  — " That's  fair.     There,  wife,  you 


26         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

are  satisfied ;  now  you  must  give  the  boy  his  fee."  —  "I  will 
at  once.  Come  here,"  said  she  to  me.  She  put  six  francs  in 
my  hand,  and  made  me  put  my  saddle  on  her  old  horse. 
Then  we  started  off  at  a  good  trot.  What  a  happy  day  it  had 
been  for  me  !  M.  Potier  said  to  me,  "  I  am  very  well  pleased 
with  you."  — "  Thank  you,  sir.  The  lady  showed  me  her 
dairy  and  her  kitchen  arrangements.  How  nice  it  all  was ! 
They  are  true  friends  ;  and  the  lady  is  not  proud." 

Next  day,  the  old  horse  was  sent  for,  and  M.  Potier  said 
to  me,  "  You  must  take  the  one  we  brought  from  your 
country.  To-morrow  we  shall  go  and  put  the  flour  in  bags. 
We  shall  have  to  take  a  hundred  bags  to  Paris.  You  must 
hold  the  bushel  measure.  I  will  show  you  how.  To-morrow 
you  must  drink  your  wine  without  water.  You  must  learn  to 
do  everything.  Here  you  will  never  do  the  work  of  a  servant, 
but  I  will  teach,  you  how  to  do  various  kinds  of  work.  I 
want  you  to  know  how  everything  is  done." 

The  next  morning,  he  introduced  me  to  the  miller,  and  said 
to  him,  "  Baptiste,  here  is  Jean,  I  wish  you  to  show  him  how 
to  handle  the  bushel  measure.  He  will  be  at  your  disposal 
whenever  you  need  him,  and  you  will  find  him  always  willing 
to  work."  — "  But,  sir,  is  he  strong  enough  to  handle  the 
bushel  measure  ?  "  —  "  Do  not  fear,  I  will  stand  by  and  see  to 
that." 

Then  M.  Potier  took  the  bushel  measure  and  showed  me. 
"  This  is  the  way,"  said  he ;  and  when  I  wanted  to  take  the 
measure  in  my  own  hands,  "No,"  said  he,  "let  me  finish  this 
bag."  Then  I  took  hold  of  the  measure,  and  handled  it  as  if 
it  had  been  a  feather.  After  I  had  filled  my  first  bag,  Baptiste 
said  to  M.  Potier,  "We  shall  make  a  man  of  him."  —  "I  will 
help  you,"'  said  my  master.  "That  is  unnecessary,"  said 
Baptiste,  "  we  two  can  manage  it." 

So  I  did  my  best,  under  the  direction  of  this  somewhat 
stern  man.  We  worked  all  day.  How  my  sides  ached !  We 
had  only  made  fifty  loads,  and  we  were  obliged  to  go  at  it 
again  the  next  morning.  At  last,  however,  we  finished,  and  I 
had  done  myself  credit. 

My  master  and  mistress,  perceiving  some  jealousy  towards 


"  Look  between  the  two  ears  of  your  lead  horse,  at  the  points  I  have 
showed  you."  —  Page  27. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  27 

me  on  the  part  of  the  other  servants,  took  advantage  of  my 
absence  to  relate  to  them  my  misfortunes.  They  told  them 
that  I  had  not  been  born  to  be  a  servant,  and  that  my  father 
was  wealthy,  and  had  lost  four  of  his  children.  "  I,"  said  M. 
Potier,  "found  this  one.  The  others  are  lost.  I  want  him 
to  learn  how  to  do  everything."  —  "  I  will  show  him  how  to 
handle  the  plough,''  said  the  head  farm-hand.  "Very  well,  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  you."  —  "I  will  take  charge  of  him  when- 
ever you  wish."  —  "  Take  him  under  your  charge.  I  confide 
him  to  you.  Do  not  let  him  fatigue  himself:  he  is  very 
energetic."  —  "  Do  not  be  anxious.  I  will  show  him  how  to 
sow  grain,  and  I  will  give  him  my  three  horses." 

That  evening  I  came  back  after  carrying  invitations  to  three 
different  places,  and  brought  back  the  replies.  When  I 
came  to  the  table,  my  master  and  mistress  asked  me  a  good 
many  questions  about  the  persons  to  whom  I  had  taken  the 
invitations.  I  told  them  that  everywhere  refreshments  had 
been  offered  me,  but  that  I  had  not  accepted  anything.  I  saw 
all  the  servants  looking  at  me. 

The  head  farm-hand  said  at  the  table,  u  Jean,  if  you  wish,  I 
will  take  you  with  me  to-morrow,  and  I  will  show  you  how  to 
make  a  furrow  with  my  plough."  —  "Ah,  you  are  very  kind, 
Father  Pron  "  (that  was  the  good  man's  name) ;  "  if  monsieur 
will  permit  me,  I  will  go  with  you."  —  "  No,"  said  M.  Potier, 
"we  will  go  together." 

As  we  went  along,  my  master  told  me  that  this  good  man 
had  offered  of  his  own  accord  to  teach  me  to  plough,  and  he 
added,  "  You  must  take  advantage  of  his  offer,  for  he  is  the 
best  ploughman  in  the  country."  When  we  arrived,  my  master 
said  to  him,  "  Here  is  your  pupil :  try  to  make  a  good  farm- 
hand of  him."  —  "I  will  take  charge  of  him,  sir."  —  " Come, 
let  us  see,  show  him  how  to  make  the  first  furrow."  Then 
Father  Pron  harnessed  up  his  plough,  putting  his  three  horses 
in  a  line,  one  before  another,  and  made  me  take  note  of  certain 
distant  points,  and  other  points  intermediate.  Then  he  said 
to  me,  "  Look  between  the  two  ears  of  your  lead  horse,  at  the 
points  I  have  showed  you :  do  not  look  at  your  plough,  hold 
your  reins  tight,  and  keep  your  eye  on  your  three  points  of 


28         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

sight.  As  soon  as  you  pass  by  one  of  them,  look  to  the 
next." 

As  soon  as  I  reached  the  end  of  the  field,  I  looked  at  my 
first  furrow.  It  was  straight.  "That  is  very  well,"  said 
M.  Potier,  "  it  does  not  waver.  I  am  satisfied ;  that  will  do 
very  well ;  go  on."  He  had  the  kindness  to  stay  with  me  two 
hours,  and  then  took  me  back  to  the  house,  where  madame 
was  expecting  him.  "  Well,"  said  she,  "  how  about  the  plough, 
how  did  he  manage  it  ?  "  —  "  Very  well.  I  assure  you,  Pron 
is  delighted  with  him ;  he  will  make  a  good  farm-hand."  — 
"  So  much  the  better,  poor  child."  —  "  That  was  a  good  idea 
of  Pron's  showing  him  how  to  handle  the  plough.  I  shall  have 
him  taught  how  to  sow  grain.  He  shall  begin  by  sowing 
vetch,  and  afterwards  he  can  sow  wheat." 

The  next  day  I  perceived  that  all  the  servants  were  specially 
gracious  to  me.  I  did  not  understand  the  reason  of  this,  but 
it  was  because  they  had  heard  my  history  from  my  master 
and  mistress ;  every  one  had  in  consequence  become  a  friend 
to  me.  M.  Potier  had  seven  children.  I  used  to  go  to  the 
boarding-schools  for  them,  and  take  them  back  again.  Those 
were  holidays  for  me  and  for  them.  I  was  with  them  wher- 
ever they  went,  whether  on  foot  or  in  the  carriage.  I  settled 
all  the  little  squabbles  between  the  girls  and  their  brothers. 

One  day  M.  Potier  said  to  me,  "  We  shall  start  to-morrow 
for  the  fair  at  Reims.  I  want  some  horses  to  sell  in  Paris. 
They  must  be  well-matched,  as  they  are  for  some  of  the  peers 
of  France.1  They  wish  them  to  be  well-trained,  and  four  or 
five  years  old.  You  will  have  a  chance  to  try  your  skill." 
He  called  his  horse-trader  and  said  to  him,  "  I  want  you  to  go 
with  me  on  horseback  to-morrow  morning  to  the  fair  at  Reims. 
I  want  fifty  horses.  Here  is  a  list  of  the  sizes  and  colors.  I 
don't  need  to  say  anything  more  to  you,  you  know  your 
business." 

M.  Huze  was  notified  to  be  ready  to  go  with  us,  and  told 
to  take  with  him  a  servant  to  lead  the  horse  which  was .  to 
carry  the  valises.     We  started  at  noon,  and  reached  Reims 

1  There  were  no  peers  then ;  but  the  sequel  shows  that  he  was  speaking  of  the 
Directory,  which  was  more  or  less  known  in  the  country  districts. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK. 


29 


three  days  before  the  fair.     M.  Potier's  old   groom   scoured 

the  country  round  for  horses  which  might  be  suitable  for  our 

purposes,  and  returned  with  the  description  of  thirty,  upon 

which  he  had  already  paid  an  instalment.     The  old  fellow 

said,  "  I  think  I  have  done  well.     I  have  a  list  of  a  hundred 

horses  that  I  have  spoken  for,  and  I  have 

,/    -'-  v.    ■;  "'      taken  down  the  names  of  their  owners." 

;W^^'  The     fair     lasted 

'^'^.■'  ■■•  three    days.      There 

t.  ,«2  \>    /  r/fT; '  • -'"V  -  -,'       were    in     all     fiftv- 

eight  horses.  We 
had  the  pick  of  the 
fair.  The  gentlemen 
were  well  pleased 
with    their  trip;   in 


^:^W0s*^ 


"r/JJ 


two  days  everything  had  been  accomplished,  and  we  were  on  our 
way  back  to  Coulommiers,  where  we  arrived  without  accident. 
Then  I  was  put  to  my  wits'  end  to  train  all  those  horses. 
Two  days  after  we  reached  home  the  training  began ;  twenty 
horses  a  day  were  brought  out  with  halters  on  their  heads. 
How  they  reared  !  But  at  last  they  were  conquered  and  made 
obedient.     There  was  not  a  day  of   rest  during   the  whole 


30         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

month  of  training.  We  trained  them  to  pleasure-cars,  to 
cabriolets,  and  under  the  saddle.  How  glad  they  were  after- 
wards to  stretch  themselves  on  their  straw !  They  slept  like 
beggars  who  had  their  wallets  full  of  bread.  We  took  them 
to  the  fields,  where  at  first  they  were  ill  at  ease  in  the 
ploughed  ground.  I  rode  first  one  and  then  another,  and  was 
very  strict  with  all  those  gay  creatures.  I  punished  the 
unruly,  and  petted  the  gentle  ones.  This  training  lasted  two 
months  without  intermission.  At  the  end  of  that  time  I  was 
worn  out ;  my  lungs  were  affected,  I  spit  blood,  but  I  had 
acquitted  myself  with  honor. 

M.  Potier  wrote  to  those  distinguished  personages  in  Paris 
that  their  horses  were  ready.  Instead  of  returning  an  answer 
by  letter,  they  came  themselves,  in  beautiful  open  carriages, 
with  servants  in  livery.  Their  horses  were  put  in  the  stables, 
and  M.  Potier,  hat  in  hand,  led  them  to  the  dining-hall,  and 
madam e  appeared.  What  a  fine  manner  she  had  !  Those 
portly  gentlemen  arose  and  bowed  to  her.  She  retired,  and 
ordered  refreshments.  She  asked  if  the  gentlemen  would  do 
her  the  honor  to  dine  with  her,  and  they  replied  that  they 
would  do  so  with  pleasure.  The  dinner  was  magnificent. 
M.  Potier  called  me  to  him  and  said,  "Tell  all  the  grooms  to 
have  the  horses  ready.  I  shall  bring  these  gentlemen  to  look 
at  them."  I  gave  the  orders,  and  everything  was  in  readiness. 
The  gentlemen  wished  to  look  over  the  establishment,  with 
which  they  were  charmed,  and  then  went  to  the  stables  to 
have  the  horses  brought  out.  "There  they  are,"  said  M. 
Potier,  "  all  in  a  row.     Bring  them  out." 

They  called  for  number  one,  with  snaffle-bridle  and  blanket. 
The  horse  was  handed  over  to  me,  and  I  made  him  trot. 
"  Mount  him,"  said  the  gentlemen.  I  made  him  walk  a  few 
paces,  holding  him  by  the  bridle,  and  then  getting  a  good 
hold,  I  sprang  on  his  back  so  quickly  that  they  scarcely  saw 
me  mount.  I  made  him  trot,  and  then  presented  him  before 
the  gentlemen,  who  praised  him,  saying,  "Very  good."  — 
"Number  two,"  said  my  master.  The  horse  was  brought  to 
me.  "Mount  him,"  said  the  gentlemen,  "walk,  trot.  That 
will  do.     Bring  another." 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  31 

And  so  on,  till  they  had  seen  twelve.  They  asked  me, 
a  Are  they  all  as  well  trained  as  these  twelve  ? "  —  "I  assure 
you  they  are."  —  "That  will  do,  then.  This  young  man  rides 
well."  —  "  He  is  pretty  plucky,"  said  my  master.  "  To-morrow 
we  will  hitch  them  to  the  pleasure-car.  Have  you  suitable 
harness  f  n  —  "  Everything  is  at  hand."  —  "  Well,  we  have 
had  enough  for  to-day.  We  should  like  to  see  the  town."  — 
u  Would  you  like  to  have  us  put  the  horses  to  your  carriage  ?  " 
—  "  Yes,  that  would  be  better.  We  ask  your  permission  to 
bring  two  friends  back  with  us."  — "  Whatever  is  agreeable 
to  you.     Jean,  put  the  horses  to  the  open  carriage." 

Then  they  started  off.  My  master  was  well  pleased. 
"Jean,"  said  he,  "we  will  do  a  good  job  to-day  ;  all  goes  well. 
You  have  done  yourself  credit.  I  want  you  to  wait  at  table, 
so  dress  yourself  with  care.  Go,  consult  my  wife.  You  must 
go  to  the  town  for  things  I  have  ordered ;  have  your  hair 
dressed,  and  put  on  your  Sunday  clothes."  I  returned,  well 
powdered.  Madame  explained  my  duties  to  me,  and  when 
the  table  was  set,  she  went  and  made  a  magnificent  toilet. 
How  beautiful  she  was  ! 

The  gentlemen  returned  at  six  o'clock.  There  were  six  of 
them.  My  master  received  them  hat  in  hand.  "Well,  sir, 
we  have  done  as  we  said,  we  have  brought  you  two  guests."  — 
"You  are  welcome,  gentlemen."  My  master  recognized  the 
sub-prefect  and  the  procureur  of  the  Kepublic.  They  sat 
down  to  the  table.  Madame  did  the  honors;  nothing  was 
wanting,  neither  I,  with  my  napkin  on  my  arm,  nor  the 
gentlemen's  footmen,  who  stood  behind  their  masters.  They 
all  ate  without  speaking  during  the  first  course.  One  of  the 
footmen  acted  as  carver,  and  gave  us  the  meats  already  cut 
up,  which  we  handed  to  the  gentlemen,  and  which  they  often 
refused.  For  the  second  course,  there  was  an  enormous  pike 
and  delicious  crabs.  "Ah,  madam e,"  said  one  of  the  guests, 
"this  is  a  great  rarity."  —  "It  is  indeed,"  said  all  of  them. 
But  the  prefect  added,  "  M.  Potier  has  a  splendid  pond.  He 
gets  magnificent  eels  from  it."  And  thus  the  praises  re- 
sounded on  all  sides.  The  champagne  came  on ;  every  one 
became  lively.     My  master  said,  "  I  laid  in  a  little  stock  of  it 


32         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

as  I  came  through  Epernay."  —  "  It  is  perfect,"  said  the  sub- 
prefect. 

When  the  dessert  was  brought  in,  the  servants  were  sent 
out  of  the  room,  and  madame  asked  permission  to  withdraw 
for  a  moment.  "  Certainly,  madame,"  they  replied.  Madame 
gave  her  orders,  and  then  said  to  her  husband,  "  Would  these 
gentlemen  like  some  punch  to  finish  the  evening  ?  "  —  "  That 
would  go  very  well  indeed."  The  sub-prefect  said,  "I  beg 
that  you  will  use  my  house  as  a  stopping-place ;  and  I  invite 
you  and  your  husband,  madame,  to  be  so  kind  as  to  dine  with 
me.      To-morrow  we  will  come  to  see  your  beautiful  horses." 

The  gentlemen  came  at  noon  to  see  them  harnessed  up. 
Everything  was  ready.  They  looked  on,  following  the  list. 
"  Take  both  the  pleasure-car  and  the  open  carriage,  that  will 
save  time.  Lead  the  horses  out  by  fours."  We  soon  had 
them  hitched  up.  I  drove  the  pleasure-car,  and  the  head 
groom  the  open  carriage.  "  Drive  around  in  front  of  the 
house,  so  we  can  see  you."  —  "  They  are  very  handsome,"  said 
the  gentlemen.  "  Are  they  all  as  well  broken  as  these  four  ?  " 
—  "Yes,  gentlemen,"  answered  M.  Potier.  "Would  you  like 
to  see  a  very  beautiful  horse  ?  If  so,  I  will  show  you  one  I 
went  wild  over  at  Reims."  —  "Let  us  see  him."  —  "Jean,  go 
bring  him."  He  was  all  ready.  I  brought  him  out  before  the 
gentlemen.  "  Ah ! "  they  exclaimed,  "  how  handsome  he  is. 
Make  him  mount  him." 

I  said  to  the  footman,  "Take  hold  of  my  foot,  so  I  can 
spring  up ;  he  is  too  high."  When  I  was  on  the  back  of  this 
proud  creature,  I  made  him  walk  and  trot,  and  then  presented 
him.  "Very  well,"  said  the  master  to  his  footman,  "mount 
him,  so  I  can  see  him  better." 

The  young  man  was  more  skilful  than  I.  How  beautifully 
he  managed  him !  "  Lead  him  here ;  that  will  do."  The 
footman  presented  him  to  his  master,  hat  in  hand.  "Mon- 
sieur," said  he,  "his  gaits  are  very  easy."  —  "I  have  found 
an  owner  for  him,"  said  the  peer  of  France.  "  He  will  suit 
the  president  of  the  Assembly ;  put  him  at  the  head  of  your 
list.  All  your  horses  are  accepted.  I  will  send  you  an  order 
when  I  wish  you  to  start  for  Paris.     Come  with  them  your- 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  33 

self,  and  this  young  man  will  accompany  you  as  guide.  If  he 
would  like  to  enter  my  service,  I  will  employ  him."  —  "  Thank 
you,  sir,  but  I  will  not  leave  my  master."  — "  Very  well,  I 
will  give  you  your  fee."  They  got  into  their  carriage,  and 
bowing  to  my  master  and  mistress  drove  off.  "At  six  o'clock, 
without  fail,"  called  out  the  sub-prefect.  My  master  ordered 
the  carriage  to  be  ready  at  five  o'clock.  "Jean,"  said  he, 
"dress  yourself,  you  are  to  drive." 

My  master  and  mistress  were  received  with  cordiality  by 
all  the  gentlemen.  All  the  town  authorities  dined  with  them 
that  day,  and  my  mistress's  seat  was  beside  the  host.  The 
party  was  kept  up  till  midnight,  and  the  next  day  they  set 
out  for  Paris.  M.  Potier  received  an  order  to  start  on  Friday 
so  as  to  reach  the  Ecole  Militaire  on  Sunday,  where  they 
would  meet  him  at  nOon  precisely,  and  receive  the  horses. 
My  master  informed  M.  Huze  that  all  the  horses  had  been 
sold.     "  Can  it  be  possible  !  "  said  he. 

We  set  out  next  day  at  six  o'clock  with  niriety-three  horses 
and  a  wagon-load  of  bran  for  the  journey.  I  led  the  hand- 
some horse  alone.  At  ten  o'clock  we  reached  the  Ecole 
Militaire,  where  we  found  an  aide-de-camp  and  equerries. 
We  fed  and  groomed  the  horses,  and  blackened  their  feet 
nicely.     At  noon  all  was  in  readiness. 

The  aide-de-camp  made  provision  for  our  breakfast,  and  set 
a  guard  of  the  servants.  M.  Huze  breakfasted  with  the  aide- 
de-camp,  and  my  master  went  off  to  inform  the  noble  gentle- 
men that  their  horses  were  ready.  At  two  o'clock  precisely, 
all  those  portly  fellows  descended  from  their  carriages  and 
went  to  look  at  the  horses,  ordering  them  out  in  sets  of  four. 
"  Those  are  handsome  horses,"  said  the  president,  "  now  you 
can  renew  your  supply  for  the  carriages.  Where  is  the  one 
you  spoke  to  me  about  ?     Have  him  brought  out." 

I  brought  him  to  the  aide-de-camp,  who  mounted  the  proud- 
looking  animal,  put  him  through  his  gaits,  and  took  him  to 
the  president.  "That's  a  fine  horse,"  said  he,  "take  him 
back."  The  aide-de-camp  then  retired  with  M.  Potier  and  M. 
Huze  to  provide  for  our  dinner,  and  meantime  men  were  sent 
to  groom  the  horses,  a  man  for  every  four  horses. 


34 


THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


The  gentlemen  sold  twenty  of  their  own  horses  to  my 
master  at  the  price  fixed  by  the  horse-traders.  After  this 
splendid  transaction  was  completed,  he  sent  me  back  with  the 
gentlemen's  fine  carriage  horses.  M.  Potier  and  M.  Hnze 
remained  a  week  in  Paris  settling  up  their  accounts.  They 
were  invited  to  the  house  of  the  great 
peer  of  France  who  had  been  enter- 
tained at  Coulommiers.  In  order  to 
assist  the  gentlemen  in  choosing  their 
teams  from  among  the  new  horses,  it 
was  decided  that  each  should  draw  by 
lot,  four  at  a  time,  and  that 
each  should  fee  the  servants. 

These    gentlemen    were    so 
pleased  with  the  fair  dealing 


^7^Aw< 


of  my  master  that  the  president  spoke  of  him  to  the  minister 
of  war.  The  latter  sent  for  M.  Potier  to  oifer  him  an  order 
of  two  hundred  horses  for  the  artillery  service.  "  There  is  the 
price  and  the  size.  How  soon  could  you  furnish  them  ?  "  — 
" I  can  deliver  them  in  two  months,  sir."  —  "I  can  assure  you 
they  are  very  strict  as  to  what  horses  are  received.  Those 
which  are  rejected  will  be  left  on  your  hands."  —  "That  is 
all  right,  you  have  warned  me."  —  "  They  will  be  received  at 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  35 

the  Ecole  Militaire.  You  know  the  age:  from  four  to  five 
years,  and  no  stallions.  Are  you  able  to  advance  the  money 
for  the  purchase  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sir."  —  "  Where  will  you  get 
them  ?"  —  "  From  Normandy  and  the  Lower  Rhine."  —  "  Ah  ! 
very  well,  that  is  a  good_  stock." 

M.  Potier  arrived  at  Coulommiers  in  excellent  spirits,  and 
found  his  twenty  horses  in  the  best  possible  condition.  "  I 
should  not  know  them,"  said  he.  "  We  must  take  them  to 
the  fair  at  Nangis,  we  shall  be  able  to  sell  them.  They  were 
bought  for  a  mere  song,  and  we  can  make  fifty  per  cent  on 
them.  Have  them  ready  to-morrow,  and  we  will  be  ready  at 
six  o'clock.  There  is  no  time  to  lose.  We  shall  have  to  go 
to  Normandy ;  I  have  taken  an  order  from  the  minister  of 
war." 

The  fair  at  Nangis  was  a  success,  and  the  horses  were  all 
sold.  M.  Potier  said,  "  I  have  doubled  my  money."  Four 
days  after,  he  set  out  for  Caen  in  Normandy,  where  he  made 
some  of  his  purchases.  He  sent  them  home,  and  we  went  on 
to  Colmar,  where  he  made  more  good  bargains,  and  at  Stras- 
bourg he  bought  all  the  rest  that  he  needed.  M.  Huze  was 
commissioned  to  take  all  the  horses  home.  My  master  went 
to  Paris,  and  informed  the  minister  that  in  a  fortnight  his 
horses  would  arrive.  "Very  well,"  said  the  minister,  "have 
them  brought  direct  to  Paris,-  you  will  save  much  expense. 
Give  orders  at  once  to  have  them  sent  on ;  you  have  been  very 
prompt.     Give  me  notice,  and  lose  no  time." 

M.  Potier  took  the  diligence,  had  the  three  hundred  horses 
brought  to  Paris,  and  wrote  to  his  wife  to  start  me  off  for 
Saint  Denis  with  a  wagon-load  of  bran,  as  the  horses  would 
stop  there  four  days  to  rest.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to 
arrive  first  at  Saint  Denis,  and  had  everything  ready  for 
them.  We  had  time  in  the  four  days  to  put  new  shoes  on  all 
the  horses,  and  when  we  reached  the  feole  Militaire,  they 
looked  as  fresh  as  if  they  had  just  stepped  out  of  a  band- 
box. 

The  load  of  bran  was  well  paid  for.  All  the  horses  were 
received.  I  was  four  hours  trotting  them  out  before  the 
artillery  officers,  inspectors,  and  a  general,  but  I  got  no  fee 


36         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

for  myself.  I  was  greatly  disappointed  at  this.  My  master 
said  to  me,  "  You  shall  lose  nothing  by  it.  I  will  make  you  a 
present  of  a  watch."  Accordingly,  he  gave  me  a  beautiful 
one,  and  also  two  hundred  francs  for  the  horses  of  the  repre- 
sentatives, and  two  louis  for  the  handsomest  horse.  What  a 
fortune  it  was  for  me !  When  I  reached  home  I  gave  all  my 
money  to  my  mistress,  and  the  next  Sunday  she  made  me  a 
present  of  six  cravats.  My  master  said,  "  My  two  trips  have 
been  worth  thirty  thousand  francs  to  me."  He  had  also  dis- 
posed of  five  hundred  bags  of  flour. 

We  resumed  our  usual  employments.  I  grew  strong  and 
intelligent.  I  rode  the  most  fiery  horses  and  broke  them  in. 
I  also  did  more  ploughing,  and  made  my  farm-hand  master  a 
present  of  a  blouse  beautifully  embroidered  on  the  collar, 
with  which  he  was  much  pleased.  At  sixteen  I  could  lift  a 
bag  like  a  man.  At  eighteen  I  could  lift  a  bag  weighing  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five.  Nothing  daunted  me,  but  the  posi- 
tion of  a  servant  began  to  be  exceedingly  distasteful  to  me. 
My  thoughts  turned  towards  a  soldier's  life.  I  often  saw 
fine-looking  soldiers  with  long  sabres  and  handsome  plumes, 
and  the  sight  of  them  would  set  my  little  head  working  all 
night.  Afterwards  I  would  reproach  myself,  —  I  who  was  so 
fortunate  already.  Those  soldiers  had  turned  my  head.  I 
cursed  them.  Then  the  love  of  work  would  resume  its  power 
over  me,  and  I  would  think  no  more  about  them. 

The  farmers  came  from  every  direction  to  deliver  the  grain 
sold  to  M.  Potier.  Each  farmer  had  a  sample  of  his  wheat  at 
the  house.  "  Jean,"  my  master  would  say,  "  go,  bring  me  ten 
money-bags."  How  many  bags  of  a  thousand  francs  went  out 
of  that  cabinet  of  his  !     This  went  on  till  Christmas  came. 

I  used  up  a  big  pile  of  a  hundred  bags  in  two  months. 
Then  my  master  said  to  his  wife,  "  Write  your  invitations  for 
this  day  week.  I  am  going  to  Paris.  I  am  going  in  the  open 
carriage.  We  shall  go  and  see  our  children,  and  Jean  will 
bring  some  empty  sacks,  for  there  is  a  great  deal  of  money 
due  me.  We  will  return  Saturday,  and  on  Sunday  you  can 
give  your  grand  dinner."  —  "You  must  bring  me  some  salt- 
water fish,"  said  my  mistress,  "and  whatever  you  wish  for 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  37 

two  dishes  of  meat,  and  some  oysters."  — "  Very  well, 
madame." 

The  money  had  all  been  received  and  well  invested  by  Thurs- 
day. "See  what  good  luck  you  have  brought  me,"  said  my 
master.  "  All  our  business  is  transacted  satisfactorily.  We 
will  make  our  purchases,  and  start  for  home  to-morrow." 

We  arrived  at  rive  o'clock.  My  mistress  was  delighted  that 
we  came  so  early.  The  next  day  at  five  o'clock  open  carriages 
and  jaunting-cars  came  in  from  every  direction.  I  did  not 
know  which  to  attend  to  first.  "  Jean,  go  to  town  and  bring 
M.  and  Madame  Brodart  and  their  daughter."  —  "Jean,  go 
back  again  immediately  for  my  son-in-law  and  my  daughter." 
And  I  made  the  carriage  spin  along  the  road,  with  the  horses 
always  at  a  gallop.  "Jean,  you  must  wait  on  the  table." 
And  poor  Jean  was  everywhere. 

The  party  was  magnificent,  and  my  mistress  put  by  a 
portion  of  the  dainties  for  me.  At  eleven  o'clock  I  was  told 
to  be  ready  to  take  everybody  home.  I  began  at  midnight, 
and  made  three  trips,  which  were  worth  eighteen  francs  to 
me.  My  master  and  mistress  called  me  in  to  give  me  some- 
thing to  drink.  "Take  a  good  glass  of  our  own  wine  and  a  bit 
of  cake ;  we  are  much  pleased  with  you."  —  "  Ah,  I  have  put 
his  portion  aside,"  said  madame.  The  next  day  I  received 
my  good  things,  which  I  divided  with  my  comrades ;  and  I 
took  the  bushel  measure,  and  went  with  the  miller  to  Paris  to 
bag  flour  for  eight  days.  And  so  I  learned  to  do  all  sorts  of 
things. 

My  mistress  begged  me  to  pay  great  attention  to  her  garden. 
At  first  I  made  her  a  pretty  arbor  at  the  bottom  of  it,  in  front 
of  the  gate,  and  laid  off  two  beautiful  flower-beds.  I  dug  a 
walk  four  inches  deep,  so  as  to  set  off  my  beds,  and  replaced 
the  earth  I  dug  out  with  sand. 

My  master  and  mistress  came  out  to  see  me.  "Well, 
Jean,"  said  my  master,  "are  you  going  to  make  us  a  road  in 
our  garden?"  —  "No,  sir,  but  a  fine  walk."  —  "You  cannot 
do  that  all  alone,  I  will  call  the  gardener."  —  "  But,  sir,  the 
worst  part  is  done."  —  "What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  — 
"See  the  three  lines  1   have  made,  and  the  sticks  I  have 


38         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

driven  down  ;  that  is  the  middle  of  my  walk."  —  "  You  have 
taken  all  my  wagon  lines."  —  "  I  could  not  make  a  straight 
line  without  them."  —  "That  is  a  fact."  —  "At  the  last  stick 
near  the  arbor,  I  shall  make  a  basket  for  madame."  —  "  Ah  ! 
that  is  a  good  thought,  Jean.  It  is  an  excellent  idea  to  make 
me  a  basket.'1  —  "I  must  have  some  box  to  plant  along  the 
walk,  and  a  great  deal  of  sand,  and  some  plank  to  make 
benches  in  madame's  arbor."  — "And  what  will  you  make  for 
your  master  ?  "  —  "  The  master  will  sit  beside  the  mistress." 
— "  Well,  go  to  work  ;  but,  Jean,  where  will  you  get  the 
sand?"  — "I  have  found  it,  sir."  —  "  Where  ?»  — «  Under 
the  little  bridge  near  the  place  where  the  horses  go  to  water. 
I  have  just  been  there,  and  I  found  it  three  feet  deep."  — 
"You  will  have  to  draw  it  up."  —  "No,  sir;  we  can  load  up 
under  the  bridge  this*  summer;  you  know  that  all  the  bend  of 
the  river  is  dry,  and  we  can  drive  out  by  the  watering-place." 
—  "  That  is  so."  —  "  We  shall  need  about  twenty  loads.  You 
see  the  walk  is  eight  feet  wide."  —  "  Wife,"  said  my  master, 
"  call  your  gardener,  for  Jean  is  going  to  make  a  road  in  your 
garden."  —  "  Please,  madame,  will  you  send  me  some  box  and 
rose-bushes  to  plant  along  the  walk  ?  " 

The  gardener  came  at  evening,  and  madame  brought  him 
into  the  garden  and  said,  "  Jean,  come  and  show  your  work." 
The  gardener  was  surprised.  "Well,"  said  she,  "what  do 
you  think  of  Jean's  idea  ?  "  —  "  Why,  madame,  it  is  beauti- 
fully laid  out.  You  can  walk  four  abreast  on  the  walk,  and 
the  children  will  not  tread  on  the  borders."  —  "  Very  true," 
said  she.  "  But  you  come  to-morrow,  for  he  will  kill  himself. 
He  took  it  into  his  head  to  do  this  to  please  me."  —  "  Madame, 
he  has  much  taste.  It  is  very  well  designed.  We  will  make 
you  a  beautiful  garden.  We  must  have  forty  tall  rose-trees, 
and  some  box  for  the  walk  and  the  basket.  Your  garden  will 
be  finished  in  a  fortnight.  The  sand  is  so  convenient."  — 
"But  do  not  leave  Jean  to  work  alone.  He  will  hurry  so 
that  he  will  make  himself  ill."  —  "I  know  it,  I  will  take  care 
of  him."  —  "Be  sure  you  do,  for  I  found  him  with  his  shirt 
all  wet  with  perspiration." 

Then  madame  went  away,  and  the  gardener  said  to  me,  "  I 


"  There  were  only  four  suitable    horses  to  be  found  in  the   neighbor- 
hood."—  Page  41. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK. 


39 


like  the  way  you  have  begun  your  work.  We  will  arrange  a 
little  surprise  for  her  in  front  of  the  arbor.  Let  us  make  four 
side  beds,  and  plant  four  Persian  lilacs  in  them,  and  honey- 
suckle all  around,  and  paint  the  benches  green.  That  will  be 
lovely.  We  must  ask  madam e  not  to  come  out  to  see  her 
garden  for  eight  days.''  So  that  evening  I  told  her  that  the 
gardener  said  she  would  please  not  come  out  to  see  her  garden 
for  eight  days.  "  Well,"  said  M.  Potier,  "  I  am  going  to  Paris 
to  dispose  of  some  flour  and  see  our  children."  —  "  Ah,  that  is 
very  good  of  you."  —  "I  shall  return  on  Saturday,  and  I  will 
see  this  tomfoolery  of  Jean  and  the  gardener,  after  I  have 
found  out  whether  my 
big  representative  is 
pleased  with  his  horses 
or  not." 

He  returned  satisfied 
with  the  reception 
given  him  by  the  rep- 
resentative, who  said 
to  him,  "I  am  coming 
with  my  wife  to  see 
you  in  the  spring.  I 
have  spoken  to  her  of 
your  lady,  and  she  de- 
sires to  make  her  ac- 
quaintance."— "  I  hope 
you  will  let  us  know  beforehand."-— "I  will  do  so;  we  must 
not  surprise  madame,  who  entertains  so  well." 

My  master  and  mistress  returned,  and  were  surprised  to 
see  the  great  walk  finished.  "  Oh,  it  is  lovely  ;  I  am  delighted ; 
it  is  beautifully  done.  One  can  walk  about  and  sit  down. 
See  these  nice  benches.  Jean  will  ruin  us  with  his  fancies." 
— "  Do  not  say  a  word  to  him  for  a  week,  until  he  has  fin- 
ished my  garden.  Pray  do  not.  I  wish  to  have  it  gravelled." 
—  "  Well,  we  will  give  Jean  a  surprise ;  we  will  turn  off  the 
water  which  flows  under  the  little  bridge,  and  he  can  get  as 
much  gravel  as  he  likes.  He  shall  not  always  be  the  smart- 
est."—  "He  will  laugh,"  said  madame. 


40         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  the  garden  was  finished,  and  I  went 
in  to  say,  "  Master  and  mistress,  your  garden  is  finished.  You 
can  come  out  and  see  it.  Ah !  if  I  only  had  some  gravel  it 
would  be  beautiful."  —  "  Well,  Jean,  you  shall  have  some  to- 
morrow ;  my  husband  has  turned  the  water  on  to  the  other  side 
of  the  bridge,  and  left  the  gravel  dry.  To-morrow  you  shall 
have  two  carts  and  some  men  to  load  them;  you  will  only 
have  the  trouble  of  putting  it  on  the  walk."  —  "  Ah,  madame, 
that  finishes  it.     In  four  days  all  will  be  completed." 

My  master  and  mistress  watched  us  from  the  windows 
without  coming  out.  The  gardener  went  and  told  them  that 
all  was  done.  "  Come,  wife,  let  us  go  out  and  see  it."  There 
I  stood  beside  the  gate,  hat  in  hand,  with  my  rake  on  my 
shoulder.  M.  Potier  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  patted  me  on 
the  shoulder ;  "  Jean,"  said  he,  "  you  have  made  your  mistress 
happy,  and  I  am  very  glad.  This  looks  much  better  than  the 
grass  which  was  here  before."  —  "  It  is  beautiful,"  said  madame. 
"  If  your  fashionable  people  from  Paris  come  to  see  you,  you 
can  bring  them  out  to  walk  around."  —  "You  shall  see  no 
more  grass  in  your  walks." 

I  continued  to  work  in  the  mill,  I  ploughed,  I  did  every- 
thing, and  especially  I  trained  horses.  My  master  received  a 
letter  from  Paris  ordering  him  to  come  at  once  to  the  repre- 
sentative at  the  Luxembourg  on  business.  "Jean,  my  boy, 
we  must  start  for  Paris  to-morrow  morning.  I  think  they 
want  some  horses."  —  "If  that  is  so,  it  will  pay  for  our  tom- 
foolery of  a  flower-garden."  We  set  out  at  five  o'clock ;  at 
eleven  we  were  in  Paris.  My  master  went  to  the  address 
given ;  the  chief  of  the  Directory 1  said  to  him,  "  We  want 
twenty  horses  of  first-rate  size,  all  entirely  black,  without  a 
spot.  The  price  will  be  forty-five  louis.  Where  can  you  get 
them  ?  "  —  "  In  the  Pays  de  Caux  and  at  the  fair  at  Beaucaire. 
I  always  go  there  for  horses  of  that  size."  —  "  Very  well,  go 
at  once.  When  can  you  deliver  them  ?  "  —  "  I  must  have 
three  months,  and  I  cannot  guarantee  to  be  ready  even  then ; 
horses  of  that  size  are  hard  to  find." 

1  That  is  to  say,  some  principal  functionary  of  the  administration  of  the 
Directory. 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  41 

We  were  soon  back  again  at  Coulommiers,  and  my  master 
said,  "  We  must  start  for  Normandy,  and  we  will  return  by 
way  of  Beaucaire,  so  as  to  attend  the  fair.  I  will  have  Francois 
come  to  me  at  once,  so  I  may  give  him  my  orders,  and  will 
tell  my  wife  that  we  are  going."  We  went  first  to  Caen,  where 
several  horses  were  ottered  us.  There  were  only  four  suitable 
horses  to  be  found  in  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  they  asked 
fifty  louis  for  them.  "Very  well,"  said  my  master,  "take 
them  to  the  fair;  we  will  see  about  it."  We  visited  the 
whole  Pays  de  Caux,  found  magnificent  farms,  and  a  fine 
breed  of  horses,  and  selected  four  very  handsome  ones.  The 
fair  at  Caen  was  well  suited  to  our  purposes.  My  master 
bought  six  superb  horses,  but  we  needed  ten  more.  The 
people  of  the  Pays  de  Caux  are  extremely  handsome,  par- 
ticularly the  women,  with  their  great  beautiful  high  head- 
dresses. The  little  women  even  look  tall,  for  their  bonnets 
are  almost  a  foot  high,  and  this  makes  their  faces  seem  small. 
Both  the  people  and  the  animals  are  magnificent. 

Then  we  set  out  for  Beaucaire,  where  we  found  ten  horses. 
I  had  never  seen  such  splendid  fairs ;  strangers  from  all  over 
the  world  were  there.  The  city  is  built  in  a  plain,  and  we 
found  cafes,  restaurant-keepers,  and  everything  in  the  best 
style.  Millions  are  employed  in  business  there,  and  the  fair 
lasts  six  weeks.  My  master's  purchases  being  completed,  we 
started  on  our  return,  having  first  collected  the  horses,  and 
sent  them  on  to  Coulommiers.  This  was  a  long  trip ;  we  had 
been  two  months  away  from  home.  How  glad  madame  would 
be  to  see  us  again  ! 

My  master  said  to  me,  "I  must  make  a  purchase  for  the 
horses.  I  shall  have  blankets  and  ear-pieces  made  for  them  ; 
that  will  set  them  off.  We  will  have  them  made  of  striped 
stuff.  Go  at  once  to  M.  Brodart.  It  is  a  necessary  expense 
toward  presenting  them  properly."  In  a  week  all  was  done. 
I  was  proud  to  see  my  fine  horses  adorned  with  such  beautiful 
blankets.  Then  M.  Potier  set  out  at  once  for  Paris,  rendered 
the  representative  l  an  account  of  his  purchase,  and  informed 

1  All  these  appellations  of  chief  of  the  Directory,  representative,  peer  of  France, 
portly  fellows,  etc.,  in  the  mind  of  honest  Coignet  referred  only  to  one  person. 


42         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

him  that  the  twenty  horses  were  at  his  house,  and  if  my  lord 
wished  to  see  them  he  could  do  so.  "  Are  they  handsome  ?  " 
said  he.  "We  will  come  to  your  house  on  Sunday  at  two 
o'clock.  There  will  be  four  of  us,  one  of  my  friends  and  his 
wife  and  mine;  tell  Madame  Potier  that  I  shall  bring  two 
ladies  with  me." 

At  two  o'clock  their  handsome  post-chaise  stood  before  our 
door.  My  master  and  mistress  received  them,  and  conducted 
them  immediately  to  the  dining-hall,  where  a  superb  collation 
was  served.  The  ladies  were  delighted  with  madame's  kind 
reception.  M.  Potier  had  invited  some  friends  of  the  repre- 
sentative. The  dinner  was  elegant.  Madame  pleased  the 
ladies  by  asking  them  to  take  a  walk  in  her  garden,  and  the 
gentlemen  went  to  take  a  look  at  the  fine  horses.  The 
blankets  had  a  wonderful  effect.  "  Your  horses  are  extremely 
handsome,  their  height  is  superb;  our  guards  will  be  well 
mounted.  I  thank  you  very  much,  and  I  will  write  at  once 
to  the  president  of  the  Directory.  They  will  be  received  at 
the  Luxembourg.  You  can  send  them  on  in  the  next  twenty- 
four  hours.  Two  days  of  rest  will  be  sufficient  to  put  them 
in  condition  to  be  presented  for  examination ;  our  gentlemen 
will  be  satisfied  when  they  see  them.  Leave  their  blankets 
on  them,  they  look  well  with  them  on,  and  you  shall  be  paid 
for  them  in  addition.  How  much  did  they  cost  you  ?  "  — 
"  Four  hundred  francs."  —  "  Very  well,  you  shall  be  paid  for 
all.  Bring  them  out,  so  we  can  see  them  outside.  They  are 
finer  than  the  horses  of  our  grenadiers,  these  will  do  for  the 
non-commissioned  officers ;  they  are  splendid  animals.  Send 
them  off  to-morrow ;  it  will  take  three  days  for  the  trip  and 
two  days  for  rest.  I  shall  be  in  Paris  in  time  to  present 
them  to  the  officers." 

We  reached  the  Luxembourg  on  the  fourth  day,  and  found 
all  in  readiness  to  receive  us.  The  fine-looking  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  grenadiers  surrounded  us,  took  our  horses, 
and  put  them  in  what  seemed  to  me  a  palace.  I  had  never 
seen  such  grand  stables.  M.  Potier  had  us  take  off  their 
blankets  in  order  to  groom  them,  and  the  grenadiers  took 
charge  of  them.     "  You  can  leave  them  to  our  care,"  said  an 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  43 

officer,  "  we  will  attend  to  them  ;  you  can  put  the  blankets  on 
again  afterwards." 

The  next  day  M.  Potier  received  an  order  to  present  his 
horses  at  one  o'clock  in  the  beautiful  chestnut  avenue  in  the 
garden.  At  two  o'clock  about  twenty  men  arrived,  who 
admired  our  horses  and  made  them  show  their  gaits.  An 
officer  came  up  to  me  and  said,  "  Young  man,  I  hear  that  you 
know  how  to  ride."  —  "A  little,  sir."  —  "Well,  let  us  see; 
mount  the  first  one  there.  That  will  do."  Then  he  took  me 
to  one  of  the  quartermasters,  and  said  to  him,  "Give  your 
horse  to  this  young  fellow,  and  let  him  ride  him."  —  "  Thanks," 
said  I  to  him.  I  was  delighted.  I  started  off  at  first  at  a 
walk;  then  my  master  said,  "Trot,"  and  I  came  back  at  a 
trot.     "  Go  again  at  a  gallop."     I  flew  like  the  wind. 

I  drew  my  horse  up  before  the  gentlemen  with  all  four  of 
his  feet  in  line.  "  How  handsome  that  horse  is,"  they  said. 
"  They  are  all  equally  so,"  said  M.  Potier.  "  If  you  wish,  my 
boy  will  show  them  all  for  you."  They  consulted  together 
for  a  moment,  and  then  pointing  out  a  horse  which  had  seemed 
frightened,  they  had  me  called.  "  Young  man,"  said  the 
representative  who  had  seen  me  at  Coulommiers,  "show  this 
horse  to  these  gentlemen  ;  mount ! " 

I  made  him  trot,  leading  from  each  foot,  and  then  galloped 
off  as  before.  I  brought  him  back,  and  they  said,  "  He  rides 
well.  He  is  bold,  your  young  man."  M.  Potier  said  to 
them,  "  It  was  he  who  trained  my  lord  the  President's  hand- 
some horse ;  no  one  could  ride  him ;  he  had  to  be  led  even  on  a 
level  road ;  and  he  made  him  as  gentle  as  a  lamb."  The  Presi- 
dent said  to  one  of  the  officers,  "  Give  this  young  man  a  louis 
for  the  horse  he  trained  for  me,  and  a  hundred  francs  for 
these  others :  he  ought  to  be  encouraged."  The  officer  said  to 
the  guards,  "  See  how  this  boy  manages  a  horse."  I  was 
handsomely  feed  by  every  one,  and  the  soldiers  shook  hands 
with  me,  saying,  "It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  you  on  horseback." 
—  "Oh,"  said  I,  "I  make  them  mind  me.  I  punish  the 
unruly  and  pet  the  gentle  ones ;  they  are  obliged  to  yield  to 
me." 

Finally,  M.  Potier  got  through  showing  all  of  his  twenty 


44  THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

horses,  which  were  all  accepted,  with  their  blankets  as  a 
separate  item,  and  all  the  expenses  of  the  journey  were  also 
defrayed.  "  Without  that,"  said  M.  Potier  to  them,  "  I  should 
lose  by  the  transaction."  They  answered  him,  "We  have 
perfect  confidence  in  you ;  the  relays  of  horses  which  you 
have  furnished  us  leave  nothing  to  be  desired."  —  "Thank 
you,  gentlemen,"  said  M.  Potier.  — "  Make  out  three  bills. 
They  will  make  you  three  drafts,  which  will  be  paid  you  at 
the  treasury.  They  will  be  signed  by  the  treasurer  of  the 
government,  and  will  be  paid  at  sight.  Meanwhile,  I  appoint 
you  to  receive  six  hundred  horses  which  are  coming  from 
Germany,  suitable  for  chasseurs  and  hussars.  Do  you  accept 
this  ?  You  will  receive  them  within  eight  or  ten  days.  The 
fees  will  be  three  francs  a  horse,  and  this  includes  the  serv- 
ices of  your  boy,  who  will  ride  them  all,  and  be  specially 
strict  in  training  the  German  horses.  You  will  receive  notice 
as  soon  as  they  arrive."  —  "You  may  rely  upon  me."  —  "The 
officers  will  be  there  to  receive  their  horses." 

M.  Potier  concluded  his  transactions,  and  we  set  out  for 
Coulommiers,  where  he  was  heartily  welcomed  after  this  long 
absence  of  three  months.  All  home  affairs  had  been  con- 
ducted as  the  master  desired.  "  Well,  my  dear,'1  said  Madame 
Potier  to  her  husband,  "have  you  enjoyed  your  trip  ?  "  —  "I 
was  delighted  with  those  gentlemen.  Everything  turned  out 
as  well  as  possible.  Jean  surpassed  himself  in  skilfulness. 
Every  one  remarked  upon  him.  He  has  been  asked  to  come 
with  me  to  receive  six  hundred  horses  for  a  cavalry  supply, 
and  has  been  appointed  to  train  them.  Those  gentlemen  all 
included  him  in  the  fees  they  allowed  me.  You  can  make 
him  your  present,  he  deserves  it.  He  carried  off  the  palm 
from  the  grenadiers  of  the  Directory  for  the  management  of 
horses." 

The  next  Sunday  my  mistress  took  me  into  the  town  and 
made  me  a  present  of  a  suit  of  clothes.  "  Send  that  to  my 
husband,  with  the  receipted  bill."  I  was  greatly  flattered  at 
this.  M.  Potier  presented  the  package  to  me :  "  Here  is  the 
present  which  you  have  so  well  deserved.  We  must  have  his 
suit  made  immediately.     To-morrow  we  will  resume  our  work 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK. 


45 


at  the  mill,  and  get  a  hundred  bags  of  flour  ready  to  send  to 
Paris."  The  whole  week  was  employed  at  the  mill.  On 
Sunday  we  reviewed  our  horses.  My  master  and  mistress 
went  to  dine  in  the  town,  and  I  entertained  all  the  servants 
with  an  account  of  our  travels,  telling  them  of  all  I  had  seen 
in  Paris.  That  evening  I  went  for  my  master  and  mistress 
without  their  having  ordered  it.  They  were  pleased  at  the 
attention,  and  I 
brought  them  home 
about  midnight. 
The  next  day  I  re- 
ceived my  suit  of 
clothes,  everything 
complete.  "  Come, 
Jean,  we  must  see 
if  they  fit  well." 
They  took  me  into 
their  chamber,  and 
presided  over  my 
toilet,  exclaiming, 
"  No  one  would  ever 
recognize  you."  — 
"  See,"  said  madame, 
"  here  are  some  cra- 
vats and  pocket- 
handkerchiefs.  I 
have  bought  you  a 
trunk  to  hold  all 
your  things."  — 
"  Master  and  mis- 
tress, I  am  over- 
whelmed by  your  kindness."  On  Sunday  I  dressed  myself, 
and  made  my  appearance  before  the  household,  looking  as 
if  I  had  just  jumped  out  of  a  bandbox.  All  my  companions 
stared  at  me  from  head  to  foot,  and  every  one  paid  me  com- 
pliments. I  thanked  them  by  a  pressure  of  the  hand,  and  I 
was  ready  to  wait  upon  them  all. 

Thus  the  years  passed  away  in  pleasant  though  laborious 


46         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

service,  for  I  took  part  in  everything,  and  watched  over  all 
the  interests  of  the  house.  I  thought  constantly  of  my 
brothers  and  my  sister,  and  especially  of  those  two  who  had 
disappeared  from  home  at  so  tender  an  age.  I  could  not  help 
shedding  tears  over  the  fate  of  those  two  poor  little  innocent 
ones,  and  often  wondered  what  could  have  become  of  them. 
"  Could  that  wicked  woman  have  destroyed  them  ? "  This 
thought  pursued  me  constantly,  and  I  longed  to  go  and  satisfy 
myself,  but  dared  not  ask  permission,  lest  I  should  lose  my 
place.  My  presence  was  necessary  at  the  house.  I  was 
obliged  to  be  patient,  and  resign  myself  to  fate.  The  years 
passed  by  without  bringing  me  any  tidings  of  them.  My  gay 
spirits  suffered  from  this.  I  had  no  one  to  whom  I  could  tell 
my  troubles. 

I  did  a  great  deal  of  farm  work,  in  which  I  became  very 
skilful,  and  was  considered  so  by  all.  At  twenty-one,  I  could 
take  the  place  of  instructor  in  ploughing  and  in  driving  an 
eight-horse  team. 

The  orders  came  from  Paris,  and  we  were  obliged  to  start 
at  once  for  the  Ecole  Militaire,  where  we  found  a  general  and 
the  officers  of  the  hussars  and  chasseurs.  My  master  was 
appointed  by  the  general  to  review  the  horses,  and  his  nomi- 
nation as  inspector  of  the  relay  was  confirmed.  The  next 
day,  the  horses,  fifty  in  number,  were  brought  to  the  Champ 
de  Mars.  I  bought  a  pair  of  buckskin  breeches  and  a  broad 
belt  to  strengthen  my  loins.     These  cost  me  thirty  francs. 

My  master  walked  around  with  the  general,  who  had  me 
called  up :  "  You  are  the  boy  who  has  been  appointed  to  ride 
the  horses,  are  you  ?     Well,  let  us  see.     I  am  hard  to  please." 

—  "  Make  yourself  easy,  general,"  said  M.  Potier,  "  he  knows 
his  business."  —  "  Very  well,  mount ;  the  cavalry  horses  first." 

—  "  Let  him  alone  ;  you  will  be  quite  satisfied  with  him.  He 
is  only  very  bashful."  —  "  Very  well,  go  on ;  begin  with  the 
one  on  the  right,  and  go  through  them." 

I  mounted  the  first,  and  so  quickly  that  no  one  had  time  to 
see  me  do  it.  The  horse  shied  several  times.  I  gave  him  two 
cuts  with  my  whip  under  his  breast,  and  made  him  wheel 
about,  and  soon  got  him  under  control.     I  led  him  off  at  a 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  47 

trot,  and  brought  him  back  at  a  gallop.  I  began  again  at  a 
walk,  as  it  is  the  gait  most  necessary  to  the  cavalry.  Then  I 
dismounted,  and  said  to  the  officer,  "  Mark  this  horse  number 
one ;  he  is  good."  I  said  to  the  veterinarian,  "  Examine  the 
mouths  of  all  the  horses,  and  particularly  their  teeth.  I  will 
look  at  them  afterwards." 

And  so  I  went  on.  I  divided  them  into  three  lots,  and  had 
them  marked  by  the  captain  of  chasseurs.  When  we  came 
to  the  thirtieth,  I  asked  for  a  glass  of  wine,  which  the  general 
had  them  bring  me,  saying,  "I  have  left  you  alone,  young 
man.  Tell  me,  why  these  different  lots  ?  "  —  "  The  first  is 
for  your  officers,  the  second  for  your  chasseurs,  and  the  third 
is  retired."  —  "How  retired?"  —  "Well,  general,  I  will  ex- 
plain. The  four  horses  of  the  third  lot  have  been  done  up, 
and  ought  not  to  be  accepted  without  examination  by  an 
expert.  See  how  strict  I  am.  This  is  on  your  account.  Now 
shall  I  go  on  with  my  examination  ?"  —  "  Yes,  I  approve  of 
your  method,  severe  and  just." 

Thus  I  continued  at  this  work  all  day  long.  I  rode  fifty 
horses :  six  of  the  first  lot  and  four  of  the  second  were  bad. 
There  were  forty  left  for  the  chasseurs.  When  the  officers 
saw  what  I  was  doing,  they  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  said, 
"  You  understand  your  business ;  we  shall  not  be  cheated."  — 
"  There  are,"  said  I,  "  six  perfect  horses,  they  will  do  for  the 
officers."  The  general  sent  for  me  to  come  to  him  as  he  stood 
with  his  aide-de-camp  near  M.  Potier.  "You  have  worked 
well.  I  watched  you,  and  am  satisfied  with  you.  Go  on  as 
you  have  begun.  You  must  be  tired ;  to-morrow  we  will 
examine  the  horses  for  the  hussars,  and  you  will  work  in  the 
same  way.  At  eleven  o'clock,  remember."  —  "Very  well, 
general."  —  "  Do  you  know  how  to  write  ?  "  —  "  No,  general." 
"I  am  sorry  for  that.  I  would  have  taken  you  into  my 
service."  —  "I  thank  you,  sir.  I  shall  not  leave  my  master ; 
he  has  brought  me  up."  —  "  You  are  a  faithful  boy."  Then 
he  called  the  officers,  and  said  to  them,  "  Take  charge  of  this 
young  man.  Let  him  dine  with  you,  he  works  for  your 
interest.  Do  not  allow  the  contractors  to  speak  to  him,  and 
bring  him  to  my  house  at  nine  o'clock.  The  inspector  will 
dine  with  me." 


48  THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN   COIGNET. 

I  was  cordially  received  by  all  the  officers.  The  dinner 
passed  off  very  gayly.  At  nine  o'clock  we  went  to  the 
general's  house,  and  coffee  was  served.  I  received  the  kind- 
est welcome  possible  from  the  general.  "To-morrow,"  said 
he,  "  we  will  go  and  see  the  horses  that  you  are  to  ride,  and 
I  will  send  one  of  the  quartermasters,  who  rides  well,  to 
assist  you.  You  will  get  through  sooner."  —  "I  will  make 
him  ride  the  mares."  —  "  Why  the  mares  ?  "  —  «  General,  the 
mares  are  better  than  the  geldings  ;  they  are  not  so  easily 
fatigued.  I  will  examine  them  before  he  mounts  them."  — 
"I  am  pleased  with  your  observation,  let  me  tell  you.  I 
heartily  approve."  — "  If  your  soldier  is  pleased  with  his 
mare,  he  shall  put  her  in  the  first  lot,  and  so  on.  I  will  do 
the  same."  — "  Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  think  of  all 
this  ?  We  have  fallen  into  good  hands,  and  we  shall  have  no 
more  of  those  worthless  horses,  which  will  not  last  six 
months."  —  "I  can  be  deceived,  but  I  will  do  my  best."  — 
"Come,  then,  gentlemen,  to-morrow  at  eleven  o'clock  pre- 
cisely." 

We  took  leave  of  the  general,  and  my  master  put  me  into  a 
carriage  to  go  back  to  our  hotel.  "Jean,"  said  he,  "the 
general  is  pleased  with  you,  he  is  really  delighted.  Try  to 
do  a  good  day's  work  to-morrow.  As  there  will  be  two  of 
you,  he  will  doubtless  be  able  to  receive  a  hundred  horses. 
That  will  help  us  a  great  deal."  —  "I  will  do  my  best,  sir." 
The  next  day  at  six  o'clock,  we  received  a  visit  from  the 
captain  of  hussars,  and  my  master  said  to  him,  "  Do  me  the 
kindness  to  accept  a  cutlet  and  a  cup  of  coffee.  We  are  about 
to  be  off,  the  cab  is  ready."  —  "  Let  us  hurry ;  the  general  is 
no  jester."  At  half-past  ten  we  were  near  the  Champ  de 
Mars,  ready  to  examine  the  horses.  My  master  said,.  "Have 
fifty  horses  ready."  At  eleven,  the  general  arrived.  We 
reviewed  the  horses,  and  rode  them  two  at  a  time. 

Those  horses  were  splendid :  I  was  delighted  with  them, 
and  I  said  so  to  the  general,  who  also  was  satisfied.  Only 
two  in  a  hundred  were  rejected.  The  poor  horse-traders  were 
not  so  mortified  as  they  had  been  the  day  before.  In  this 
way  we  received  a  hundred  horses  a  day,  and  in  nine  days  all 


FIRST  NOTE-BOOK.  49 

was  done.  I  was  highly  commended  by  all  the  officers  and  by 
the  general,  who  ordered  thirty  francs  to  be  paid  me  for  the 
ten  rejected  horses.  I  went  with  my  master  to  thank  the 
general,  who  said  to  us,  "  I  have  made  a  report  of  the  care 
you  have  taken  in  the  choice  of  the  horses  for  the  officers, 
and  of  the  reform  which  you  instituted.  It  was  on  this 
account  that  I  gave  the  thirty  francs  as  a  reward  to  your 
young  man."  I  thanked  him,  and  we  went  to  settle  up  our 
business ;  my  master  realized  eighteen  hundred  francs  from 
his  trip,  and  we  started  the  next  day  for  Coulommiers.  My 
master  said  to  me,  "  We  have  done  a  first-rate  piece  of  busi- 
ness, and  every  one  is  satisfied." 

I  said  to  him,  "  If  ever  I  am  a  soldier,  I  will  do  my  best  to 
get  into  the  hussars ;  they  are  so  splendid."  —  "  You  must  not 
think  of  that.  We  will  see  about  it  after  a  while ;  that  shall 
be  my  business.  I  warn  you  that  the  life  of  a  soldier  is  not 
all  rose-color."  — "  I  am  sure  of  it,  consequently  I  have  not 
gone  into  it ;  if  I  ever  leave  you,  it  will  be  because  I  am 
obliged  to."  —  "  Very  well,  I  am  pleased  to  hear  you  say  so." 

We  reached  home  on  Saturday,  and  Sunday  everybody  had 
a  holiday.  My  master  did  not  worry  about  me.  I  returned 
to  my  usual  duties,  but  one  day  I  was  summoned  to  the 
mairie.  There  they  asked  me  my  name  and  Christian  names, 
my  profession  and  age.  I  answered  that  I  was  named  Jean- 
Roch  Coignet,  and  was  born  in  Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines, 
in  the  Department  of  the  Yonne.  "  How  old  are  you  ?  "  — 
"I  was  born  on  the  16th  of  August,  1776."  —  "You  can 
retire." 

This  set  my  head  to  throbbing.  "What  in  the  devil  did 
they  want  with  me  ?  I  had  done  nothing."  I  said  this  to 
my  master  and  mistress,  who  replied,  "They  wish  to  enroll 
you  for  conscription."  —  "  Am  I  then  going  to  be  a  soldier  ?  " 
"  Not  yet,  but  this  is  one  of  the  preliminary  steps.  If  you 
wish,  we  will  procure  you  a  substitute."  —  "  Thank  you,  I  will 
think  about  it."  I  was  overwhelmed  by  this  piece  of  news. 
I  should  have  been  willing  to  start  at  once,  but  I  had  all  the 
time  till  the  month  of  August  for  reflection.  My  head  was 
at  work  night  and  day.     I  saw  myself  about  to  leave  the  house 


50 


THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


where  I  had  passed  so  many  happy  days,  with  such  a  good 
master  and  mistress,  and  such  kind  companions. 

Here  I  bring  to  a  close  the  first  part  of  my  work,  lest  such 
details  should  grow  tiresome.  I  am  about  to  begin  the 
history  of  my  military  career.  Compared  with  that,  my 
sorrowful  early  life  was  a  bed  of  roses. 


7C  >H*-L*_ 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK. 


DEPARTURE    FOR  THE    ARMY. MY  MILITARY    LIFE    UP    TO    THE 

BATTLE    OF    MONTEBELLO. 

On  the  sixth  Fructidor,  year  VII.,  two  gendarmes  came 
and  left  with  me  a  way-bill  and  an  order  to  start  for 
Fontainebleau  the  tenth  Fructidor.  I  immediately  made 
preparations  for  my  departure.  My  master  and  mistress 
wished  to  procure  me  a  substitute.  I  thanked  them  with 
tears  in  my  eyes.  "  I  promise  you  that  I  shall  bring  back  a 
silver  gun,  or  die."  It  was  a  sad  leave-taking.  I  was  over- 
whelmed with  kindness  by  the  whole  household.  They 
accompanied  me  to  the  end  of  the  road,  and  bade  me  good-by 
with  many  embraces.  With  my  little  bundle  under  my  arm, 
I  reached  Rozoy,  the  first  military  halting-place,  where  I 
spent  the  night.  I  took  my  billet,  and  presented  it  to  my 
host,  who  took  no  notice  of  me  whatever.  Then  I  went  out 
to  buy  something  to  make  a  stew,  and  the  butcher  gave  it  to 
me.  I  felt  quite  desolate  when  I  saw  that  piece  of  meat  in 
the  palm  of  my  hand.  I  gave  it  to  my  landlady,  and  asked 
her  to  have  the  kindness  to  have  it  cooked  for  me,  and  went 
to  find  some  vegetables  for  her.     At  last  I  got  my  little  stew, 


52  THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

and  by  that  time  I  had  won  the  good  graces  of  my  hosts,  who 
were  willing  to  talk  to  me,  but  I  took  no  fancy  to  them. 

The  next  day  I  reached  Fontainebleau,  where  some  very 
unenthusiastic  officers  received  us  and  put  us  in  barracks 
which  were  in  wretched  condition.  Our  fine  battalion  was 
formed  within  a  fortnight ;  it  numbered  eighteen  hundred 
men.  As  there  was  no  discipline,  a  revolution  at  once 
occurred,  and  half  of  them  left  and  went  home.  The  chief  of 
battalion  reported  them  at  Paris,  and  each  man  was  allowed 
fifteen  days  to  rejoin  his  battalion,  or  else  be  regarded  as  a 
deserter,  and  punished  accordingly.  General  Lefebvre  was 
immediately  sent  to  organize  us.  Companies  were  formed,  and 
grenadiers  selected.  I  belonged  to  this  latter  company,  which 
numbered  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  men,  and  we  were 
uniformed  at  once.  We  received  an  entire  outfit,  and  imme- 
diately began  to  drill  twice  a  day.  The  stragglers  were  brought 
back  by  the  gendarmes,  and  we  were  brought  into  order 
again. 

Sunday  was  the  decadi 1  for  the  whole  battalion.  We  had 
to  sing  "  La  Victoire,"  and  the  officers  flourished  their  sabres 
about ;  the  church  resounded  with  them.  Then  we  cried  out, 
"  Vive  la  Republique  ! "  Every  evening,  around  the  liberty- 
pole  in  the  principal  street,  we  had  to  sing,  "  Les  aristocrates 
a  la  lanterne."     It  was  very  entertaining. 

This  sort  of  life  had  lasted  nearly  two  months,  when  a  re- 
port was  circulated  in  the  newspapers  that  General  Bonaparte 
had  landed,  and  was  on  his  way  to  Paris,  and  that  he  was  a 
great  general.  Our  officers  went  crazy  about  it,  because  the 
chief  of  our  battalion  knew  him,  and  the  whole  battalion  was 
delighted  to  hear  it.  We  were  reviewed,  and  our  clothing 
examined.  We  were  made  to  carry  and  present  arms  and 
charge  bayonets.  They  undertook  to  make  soldiers  of  us  in 
two  months.  We  had  callouses  on  our  hands  from  beating 
them  on  the  butt-ends  of  our  guns.  All  day  long  we  were 
under  arms.     Our  officers  took  us  by  the  collars  and  examined 

»  The  decadi  was  the  substitute  for  Sunday  as  the  day  of  rest,  but  occurred  only 
once  in  ten  days.  To  sing  "  La  Victoire "  means  here  to  sing  the  "  Chant  du 
Depart,"  which  began  with  the  words,  "  La  victoire  en  chantant."  .  .  . 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  53 

our  clothing;  they  took  every  precaution  that  we  should  be 
lacking  in  nothing. 

At  last  a  courier  brought  the  information  that  Bonaparte 
would  pass  by  Fontainebleau,  and  that  he  would  spend  the 
night  there.  We  were  kept  under  arms  all  day  long,  but  he 
did  not  come.  We  were  scarcely  allowed  time  to  eat.  The 
bakers  and  innkeepers  on  the  principal  street  did  a  good 
business.  Videttes  were  placed  in  the  wood,  and  every 
moment  there  was  a  cry  of  "  Aux  armes"  and  every  one 
rushed  out  on  the  balconies,  but  all  for  nothing,  for  Bonaparte 
did  not  arrive  till  midnight. 

In  the  principal  street  of  Fontainebleau,  where  he  dis- 
mounted, he  was  delighted  to  see  such  a  fine  battalion.  He 
called  the  officers  around  hiin,  and  gave  them  an  order  to  set 
out  for  Courbevoie.1  He  got  into  his  carriage  again,  and  we, 
shouting  "  Vive  Bonaparte,"  returned  to  our  barracks  to  make 
up  our  knapsacks,  wake  up  our  washerwomen,  and  pay  the  in  off. 

We  slept  at  Corbeil.  The  inhabitants  received  us  as  if  we 
had  been  natives  of  that  country,  and  the  next  day  we  started 
for  Courbevoie,  where  we  found  the  barracks  in  the  most 
destitute  condition,  not  even  straw  to  sleep  on.  We  were 
obliged  to  get  trellises  from  among  the  vines  to  warm  our- 
selves and  boil  our  pots. 

We  remained  there  only  three  days,  as  orders  were  sent 
us  to  go  to  the  Ecole  Militaire,  where  we  were  put  in  rooms 
which  had  nothing  in  them  but  straw  mattresses,  and  at  least 
a  hundred  men  in  each  room.  Then  a  distribution  of  car- 
tridges was  made :  three  packages  of  fifteen  cartridges  each  to 
each  man,  and  three  days  after  we  were  made  to  start  for 
St.  Cloud,  where  we  saw  cannons  everywhere,  and  troopers 
wrapped  in  their  cloaks.  We  were  told  that  they  were  the 
gros  talons,2  that  they  came  down  on  the  enemy,  in  a  charge, 

1  This  visit  must  have  been  made,  not  on  his  return  from  Egypt,  but  a  little  before 
the  Coup  d'Etat,  which  was  about  a  month  later.  At  a  time  when  soldiers  did  not 
read  the  newsp;i|>ers,  it  is  not  astonishing  that  such  mistakes  were  made.  Some  one 
told  Coignet  that  the  general  was  ooming  from  Egypt,  ami  he  concluded  that  he  had 
not  been  to  Paris.  Moreover,  the  order  to  depart  must  have  been  merely  transmitted 
and  not  given  by  Honaparte. 

*  Cuirassiers,  so  called  because  of  their  heavy  boots.  They  were  afterwards  called 
"gilets  defer"  (iron  waisteoatsi,  on  account  of  their  cuirasses. 


54  THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

like  a  thunderbolt,  and  that  they  were  covered  with  iron. 
But  this  was  not  really  so.  They  had  only  ugly  three-cornered 
hats  with  two  iron  plates  in  the  form  of  a  cross  in  front. 
These  men  looked  like  big  peasants,  with  horses  so  large  they 
made  the  earth  shake,  and  great  sabres  four  feet  long.  These 
were  our  heavy  cavalrymen,  who  afterwards  became  cuiras- 
siers, and  were  called  the  " gilets  defer"  At  last  the  regi- 
ment reached  St.  Cloud.  The  grenadiers  of  the  Directory 
and  of  the  Five  Hundred  were  in  line  in  the  front  court ;  a 
half-brigade  of  infantry  was  stationed  near  the  great  gate, 
and  four  companies  of  grenadiers  behind  the  guard  of  the 
Directory. 

Cries  of  u  Vive  Bonaparte  "  were  heard  on  all  sides,  and  he 
appeared.  The  drums  beat  a  salute ;  he  passed  in  front  of  the 
fine  corps  of  grenadiers,  saluted  every  one,  ordered  us  into 
line  of  battle,  and  spoke  to  the  officers.  He  was  on  foot,  and 
wore  a  small  hat  and  a  short  sword.  He  went  up  the  steps 
alone.  Suddenly  we  heard  cries,  and  Bonaparte  came  out, 
drew  his  sword,  and  went  up  again  with  a  platoon  of  grena- 
diers of  the  guard.  Then  the  noise  increased.  Grenadiers 
were  on  the  stairway  and  in  the  entrance.  We  saw  stout 
gentlemen  jumping  out  of  the  windows;1  cloaks,  fine  hats,  and 
plumes  were  thrown  on  the  ground,  and  the  grenadiers  pulled 
the  lace  from  the  elegant  cloaks.2 

At  three  o'clock  orders  were  sent  us  to  start  for  Paris,  but 
the  grenadiers  did  not  go  with  us.  We  were  famishing.  On 
our  arrival  brandy  was  distributed  to  us.  The  Parisians 
crowded  around  us  to  hear  the  news  from  St.  Cloud.  We 
could  scarcely  make  our  way  through  the  streets  to  the 
Luxembourg,  where  we  were  quartered  in  a  chapel  at  the 
entrance  of  the  garden  (we  had  to  go  up-stairs).  To  the  left, 
after  we  mounted  the  stairs,  was  a  great  vaulted  chamber, 
which  they  told  us  was  the  sacristy.  Here  they  made  us  put 
up  big  kettles  for  four  hundred  soldiers.  In  front  of  the  main 
building  there  were  handsome  linden  trees ;  but  the  beautiful 
square  in  front  of  the  palace  was  covered  with  the  ruins  of 

1  These  "  stout  gentlemen"  were  the  representatives  of  the  nation. 

2  The  mantle  and  plumed  cap  then  formed  a  part  of  the  parliamentary  dress. 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  55 

buildings.  There  was  nothing  left  in  this  beautiful  garden 
but  the  old  chestnut  trees,  which  are  still  there,  and  an  outlet 
in  the  rear  at  the  end  of  our  chapel.  It  was  pitiful  to  see 
that  lovely  garden  utterly  destroyed. 

Then  a  fine-looking  grenadier  rode  up  with  the  chief  of 
battalion,  who  ordered  us  under  arms  to  receive  M.  Thomas 
(or  Thome)  as  lieutenant  in  the  96th  half-brigade,  and  he  also 
said  to  us,  u  My  comrade  and  I  saved  General  Bonaparte's  life. 
The  first  time  he  entered  the  hall,  two  men  rushed  upon  him 
with  two  daggers,  and  it  was  my  comrade  and  I  who  parried 
the  blows.  Then  the  general  went  outside,  and  they  cried, 
i  Outlaw  him.'  Whereupon  he  drew  his  sword,  and  ordered 
us  to  charge  bayonets,  and  shouted,  '  Clear  the  hall,'  and 
called  for  his  brother.  All  the  web-footed  creatures  jumped 
out  of  the  windows,  and  we  were  left  masters  of  the  hall."1 
He  told  us  also  that  Josephine  had  given  him  a  ring,  worth 
full  fifteen  thousand  francs,  forbidding  him  to  sell  it,  and 
saying  she  would  attend  to  all  his  wants. 

Our  whole  fine  battalion  was  finally  incorporated  in  the 
96th  half-brigade  of  the  line,  composed  of  old  and  experienced 
soldiers,  and  officers  who  were  very  strict.  Our  colonel  was 
named  M.  Lepreux,  a  native  of  Paris,  a  good  soldier,  and  kind 
to  his  officers.  Our  captain  was  named  Merle,  and  he  had  all 
the  qualities  of  a  soldier.  Strict,  just,  always  present  when 
rations  were  distributed  to  his  grenadiers,  on  drill  twice  a 
day,  strict  in  discipline ;  he  was  present  at  meal-times.  He 
also  taught  us  to  shoot.  We  were  at  work  every  moment  of 
our  time.  In  three  months  our  companies  were  able  to  go 
through  the  drill  in  presence  of  the  First  Consul. 

I  became  very  skilful  in  the  use  of  arms.  I  was  supple, 
and  I  had  two  good  training  masters  who  helped  me  on. 
They  had  examined  me,  and  so  had  felt  my  belt-pockets ;  they 
therefore  paid  court  to  me.  I  paid  for  their  drams.  It  was 
necessary  to  deal  in  this  way  with  these  drunkards.     How- 

1  This  story  is  a  little  too  exact.  The  armed  force  was  sent  at  the  requisition  of 
the  president  of  the  Assembly.  Hut  a  boasting  grenadier  is  not  always  a  historian. 
Hll  epithet  of"  web-footed  "  had  reference,  doubtless,  to  the  bows  of  ribbon  on  their 
shoes. 


56 


THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


ever,  I  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  them,  for  at  the  end  of 
two  months  they  put  me  to  a  severe  test.  They  made  me 
seek  a  quarrel,  and  that  without  pretext.  "  Come/'  said  this 
swaggerer l  to  me,  "  draw  your  sabre,  and  I  will  spill  a  little 
of  your  blood."  —  "  All  right,  we  will  see,  you  puppy."  — 
"  Find  your  second."  —  "I  have  none."  Then  my  old  master, 
who  was  in  the  plot,  said  to  me,  "  Would  you  like  me  to  be 
your  second ?  "  —  "I  would,  indeed,  Father  Palbrois."  —  " Be 


-; 


off,  then,"  said  he,  "and  no 
more  ado  ! "  All  four  of  us 
started  out.  We  went  a  little 
way  into  the  garden  of  the  Luxembourg  where  there  were  two 
old  tumble-down  buildings,  and  they  took  me  in  between  two 
old  walls.  There  with  my  coat  off  I  stood  ready.  "Now, 
strike  first,"  said  I  to  him.  —  "I  won't,"  he  answered.  " All 
right,  look  out."  Then  I  rushed  upon  him,  and  gave  him  no 
time  to  recover  himself.  My  master  ran  in  between  us,  sabre 
in  hand.  I  pushed  him  aside.  "  Get  away,  let  me  kill  him  ! " 
—  "  Come,  come,  that  will  do ;  shake  hands,  and  we  will  go 
drink  a  bottle  of  wine."  —  "But  that  drop  of  my  blood,  doesn't 
he  want  it  any  longer  ?  "  —  "  It  was  all  a  joke,"  said  my  master. 

1  I.  e.,  the  other  party  to  the  quarrel. 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  57 

I  was  now  recognized  as  a  good  grenadier.  I  saw  what  they 
were  after ;  this  was  a  trick  to  make  me  pay  my  scot,  which 
I  did  with  a  good  grace,  and  they  set  it  down  to  my  credit. 
The  grenadier,  who  wanted  to  kill  me  in  the  morning,  was  my 
best  friend.  He  paid  me  all  sorts  of  attentions  and  rendered 
me  any  number  of  small  services.  My  two  masters  pushed 
me  forward  ;  four  hours  of  drilling,  two  hours  in  the  fencing 
school,  making  six  hours  daily.  This  life  lasted  three  months, 
and  I  paid  for  many  drams  for  these  drunkards.  Happily  for 
me,  M.  and  Madame  Potier  had  filled  my  belt-pouch.  I 
reaped  the  benefit  of  their  goodness  a  long  time. 

We  passed  the  winter  in  Paris.  The  First  Consul's  review 
took  place  in  the  month  of  February,  at  the  Tuileries ;  the 
three  half-brigades  (24th  light,  43d  and  96th  of  the  line) 
formed  a  division  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  the  command  of 
which  was  given  to  General  Chambarlhac.  The  First  Consul 
put  us  through  the  evolutions,  rode  down  the  ranks  and  seemed 
satisfied.  He  called  the  colonels,  and  desired  to  see  the  con- 
scripts apart.  The  company  of  grenadiers  of  the  battalion  of 
Seine-et-Marne  was  brought  out.  He  told  our  captain,  Merle, 
to  make  us  go  through  the  evolutions  before  him.  He  was 
surprised.  "  But  these  must  be  old  troops  you  are  drilling  ?  " 
—  "No,"  answered  the  captain,  "'tis  a  company  of  the  aux- 
iliary battalion  which  has  been  formed  at  Fontainebleau."  —  "I 
am  greatly  pleased  with  this  company ;  send  it  back  to  the 
battalion.     Hold  yourselves  in  readiness  to  march." 

We  received  orders  to  set  out  for  the  camp  of  Dijon,  which 
really  had  no  existence,  at  least  we  never  saw  it.  The  whole 
division  started  for  Corbeil,  where  Chambarlhac  made  us  camp 
among  the  vines  in  the  good  department  of  Seine-et-Marne, 
which  had  made  so  many  sacrifices  for  our  battalion.  We 
camped  thus  all  along  the  route.  From  Auxerre  he  led  us  to 
St.  Nitasse.  The  citizens  were  willing  to  lodge  us,  they 
brought  us  wagon-loads  of  wood  and  straw ;  but  all  in  vain, 
we  were  forced  to  burn  their  trellises  and  cut  down  their  pop- 
lars. We  were  called  "  Chambarlhac's  brigands."  He,  how- 
ever, never  bivouacked  with  his  soldiers.  This  life  continued 
till  we  reached  Dijon,  where  we  were  lodged  among  the  citizens 
and  remained  there  six  weeks. 


58         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

General  Lannes  formed  his  advance  guard,  and  set  out  for 
Switzerland.  We  were  the  last  to  leave  Dijon  for  Auxonne, 
where  we  lodged.  The  next  day  we  went  to  Dole  where  we 
only  passed  the  night,  and  went  on  to  Poligny.  Thence  we 
went  to  Morez.  The  next  day  we  slept  at  Rousses,  and  thence 
to  Nyon,  where  we  brought  all  our  little  force  together  in  a 
beautiful  plain.  We  were  reviewed  by  the  First  Consul,  as- 
sisted by  his  generals,  among  whom  was  Lannes.  We  were 
put  through  the  evolutions,  and  made  to  form  a  square.  The 
Consul  kept  us  occupied  the  whole  day ;  the  next  morning  he 
marched  us  out,  and  started  us  for  Lausanne,  a  very  pretty 
village.  The  Consul  passed  the  night  there,  and  we  were 
kindly  received. 

Here  one  comes  upon  a  wooded  height  which  overlooks  a 
wide  extent  of  country,  with  Geneva  on  one  hand  and  the 
shores  of  the  lake  on  the  other.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach 
extends  the  wooded  and  rocky  shore  of  that  majestic  lake,  the 
water  of  which  is  always  a  deep  blue.  To  the  left  a  road  winds 
along  this  beautiful  shore,  which  is  cultivated  in  the  form  of 
an  amphitheatre.  It  is  a  series  of  espaliers  from  bottom  to 
top.  This  shore  is  a  source  of  great  wealth  to  the  whole  coun- 
try ;  it  is  a  masterpiece  of  nature.  Guides  are  needed  through 
all  the  towns  of  Switzerland,  for  the  country  is  woody  and 
mountainous.  The  people  are  good  to  the  soldiers ;  we  never 
started  out  without  a  good  bit  of  ham  wrapped  in  a  paper. 
We  had  guides  all  along  our  route,  for  we  were  in  danger  of 
losing  our  way. 

Leaving  Lausanne,  we  went  around  the  end  of  the  Lake  of 
Geneva,  and  then  went  up  the  valley  of  the  Rhone,  and  ar- 
rived at  St.  Maurice.  Thence  we  started  for  Martigny.  All 
these  villages  were  as  wretched  as  can  possibly  be  imagined. 
We  went  into  another  valley,  which  might  well  have  been 
called  the  valley  of  Hell.  After  that  we  left  the  valley  of  the 
Rhone,  and  went  into  the  valley  which  leads  to  the  St.  Ber- 
nard, and  came  to  the  town  of  St.  Pierre,  situated  at  the 
foot  of  the  gorge  of  the  St.  Bernard.  This  village  was  com- 
posed entirely  of  barracks  covered  with  planks,  and  immense 
barns  where  we  slept   pell-mell.     Here  we   dismounted   our 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK. 


59 


entire  park  in  the  presence  of  the  Consul.  Each  of  our  pieces 
was  placed  in  a  trough ;  at  the  end  of  the  trough  there  was  a 
large  mortise  by  which  to  drag  our  piece,  managed  by  a  strong 
and  intelligent  gunner  with  forty  grenadiers  under  his  orders. 
We  had  to  obey  in  absolute  silence  every  movement  made  by 
his  piece.  If  he  commanded  "  Halt,"  we  could  not  budge  ; 
if  he  cried  "Advance,"  we  had  to  move  on.  He  was  our 
master. 

Next   morning  at   daybreak  all  was  ready,  and  rations  of 
biscuits  were  distributed  to  us.     I  put  them  on  a  string  and 


hung  them  around  my  neck 
(the  necklace  was  very  in- 
convenient), and  we  had 
two  pairs  of  shoes  given  us. 
That  very  evening  our  can- 
noneer made  up  his  teams, 
which  were  composed  of  forty  grenadiers  to  each  piece  ;  twenty 
to  drag  the  piece  (ten  on  each  side,  holding  on  to  sticks  put 
through  ropes  which  served  for  traces),  and  twenty  others  who 
carried  the  others'  muskets  and  the  wheels  and  caissons  of  the 
piece.  The  Consul  had  taken  the  precaution  to  collect  the 
mountaineers  together  for  the  purpose  of  picking  up  all  the 
things  which  should  have  been  left  behind,  promising  them 
six  francs  for  the  journey  and  two  rations  a  day.  In  this 
way  every  thing  was  brought  together  at  the  place  of  rendez- 
vous, and  nothing  was  lost. 


60         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak,  our  master  placed  us  by 
twenties  at  our  pieces,  ten  on  each  side  of  a  gun.  I  was  put 
in  the  first  place,  to  the  right,  in  front ;  it  was  the  most  dan- 
gerous side,  because  it  was  next  to  the  precipices.  Then  we 
started  off  with  our  three  pieces.  Two  men  carried  each  axle- 
tree,  two  carried  a  wheel,  four  carried  the  upper  part  of  the 
caisson,  eight  carried  the  chest,  eight  others  the  muskets. 
Every  one  had  his  special  duty  and  position.  It  was  a  most 
terrible  journey.  From  time  to  time  there  were  commands  of 
"  Halt,"  or  "  Advance,"  and  not  a  word  was  spoken.  All  this 
was  mere  pastime,  but  when  we  reached  the  snow,  matters 
became  more  serious.  The  road  was  covered  with  ice  which 
cut  our  shoes,  and  our  gunner  could  not  manage  his  piece  ;  it 
slipped  constantly.  He  was  obliged  to  mount  it  anew.  This 
man  needed  all  his  courage  to  be  able  to  hold  out ;  "  Halt !" 
"  Advance  !  "  he  cried  every  moment,  and  all  moved  on  in 
silence. 

We  had  gone  over  a  league  of  this  terrible  road,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  give  us  a  moment  to  rest  and  to  put  on  some  new 
shoes,  for  those  we  had  on  were  in  tatters,  and  also  to  take  a 
bite  of  our  biscuits.  As  I  was  taking  my  string  from  around 
my  neck  so  as  to  take  one  off,  the  string  broke,  and  all  my 
biscuits  went  rolling  down  the  precipice.  How  grieved  I  was 
to  find  myself  without  bread,  and  how  my  forty  comrades 
laughed  at  my  misfortune  !  "Come,"  said  our  cannoneer,  "we 
must  make  up  a  feed  for  our  lead  horse,  he  always  obeys  the 
first  word  of  command."  This  made  my  comrades  laugh  again. 
"  All  right,"  they  answered,  "  let  each  of  us  give  a  biscuit  to 
our  lead  horse  ! "  Then  I  recovered  my  spirits.  I  thanked 
them  with  all  my  heart  and  found  myself  richer  than  my  com- 
rades. We  started  off  again  well  shod.  "  Come,  my  horses," 
said  our  gunner,  "  fall  into  your  places,  advance  !  When  we 
reach  the  snow  fields,  we  shall  move  more  easily  and  not 
have  so  much  trouble." 

We  did  reach  those  terrible  fields  of  perpetual  snow,  and 
found  much  less  difficulty ;  our  gun-trough  slid  along  more  rap- 
idly. General  Chambarlhac  came  up  with  us  and  wanted  to 
hasten  us  ;   he  went  towards  the  cannoneer  and  assumed  the 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  61 

tone  of  command,  but  was  ill  received.  "  You  don't  command 
my  piece,"  said  the  cannoneer.  "I  alone  am  responsible  for  it. 
Go  your  own  way  !  these  grenadiers  do  not  belong  to  you  for 
the  present ;  I  alone  command  them."  Then  he  tried  to  ap- 
proach the  cannoneer,  but  the  latter  commanded  him  to  halt. 
u  If  you  do  not  move  out  of  my  way  I  will  knock  you  down 
with  one  blow  of  my  crowbar.  Pass  on,  or  I  will  throw  you 
over  the  precipice  !  " 

He  was  compelled  to  go  away,  and  after  the  greatest  exer- 
tion we  reached  the  foot  of  the  monastery  steep.  For  four 
hundred  feet  the  ascent  is  very  rapid,  and  we  could  see  that 
some  troops  had  gone  on  ahead  of  us.  The  road  had  been 
opened  and  paths  cut  out  leading  to  the  monastery.  We 
planted  our  three  pieces,  and  four  hundred  of  us  grenadiers 
with  a  party  of  our  officers  entered  the  house  of  God,  where  men 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  humanity  are  stationed  to  give  aid  and 
comfort  to  travellers.  Their  dogs  are  always  on  hand  to  guide 
unfortunate  creatures  who  may  have  fallen  in  the  avalanches 
of  snow,  and  conduct  them  to  this  house,  where  every  necessary 
comfort  is  provided. 

While  our  colonel  and  other  officers  were  in  the  halls  beside 
bright  fires,  we  received  from  these  venerable  men  a  bucket  of 
wine  for  every  twelve  men,  and  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
Gruyere  cheese  and  a  loaf  of  bread  for  each.  We  were  lodged 
in  the  large  corridors.  These  good  monks  did  every  thing 
that  they  possibly  could,  and  I  believe  they  were  well  treated. 

For  our  part,  we  pressed  the  good  fathers'  hands  when  we 
parted  from  them,  and  embraced  their  dogs  which  caressed  us 
as  if  they  knew  us.  I  cannot  find  words  to  express  the  ven- 
eration I  feel  for  those  men. 

Our  officers  decided  to  take  our  pieces  down  the  descent, 
and  then  our  terrible  task  would  be  accomplished.  Our  brave 
captain,  Merle,  was  appointed  to  conduct  the  three  companies. 
As  we  crossed  the  lake  which  is  at  the  foot  of  the  monastery, 
we  saw  that  in  one  place  the  ice  had  been  broken.  The  good 
monk  who  showed  us  the  way  told  us  that  it  was  the  first 
time  for  forty  years  that  he  had  seen  the  water.  He  pressed 
our  captain's  hand  and  bade  us  all  farewell. 


62  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

We  descended  almost  perpendicularly,  and  reached  St.  Remy. 
This  village  is  down  in  a  perfect  hell  of  snow;  the  houses 
are  very  low,  and  covered  with  very  broad  tiles.  Here  we 
passed  the  night.  I  lay  down  on  the  floor  of  a  stable  where 
I  found  some  straw,  and  passed  a  comfortable  night  along 
with  twenty  of  my  comrades ;  we  were  not  cold.  The  next 
morning  we  had  roll-call,  and  started  to  go  to  a  place  three 
leagues  farther  on.  We  were  going  to  get  out  of  hell  and 
descend  to  paradise.  "Be  saving  of  your  biscuits,"  said  our 
captain,  "  we  are  not  yet  in  Piedmont.  We  must  go  through 
many  a  difficult  pass  before  we  reach  Italy."  We  came  to  the 
place  of  general  rendezvous  for  all  the  regiments  ;  it  was  a  long 
gorge  with  a  village  set  against  the  mountain.  To  the  right, 
up  a  steep  slope,  there  wras  a  very  high  rock.  In  two  days 
all  our  forces  were  gathered  together  in  this  plain.  Our  brave 
officers  had  come  through  without  any  boots  and  with  no 
sleeves  to  their  coats ;  it  was  pitiful  to  see  them. 

This  rendezvous  seemed  to  be  the  end  of  the  world ;  there 
was  no  way  leading  out  of  it.  The  Consul  arrived  and  imme- 
diately ordered  some  heavy  timbers  to  be  brought.  He 
superintended  in  person,  with  all  the  engineers,  and  they 
made  a  hole  in  the  rock,  which  was  on  the  edge  of  the  preci- 
pice. This  rock  was  so  steep  that  it  seemed  as  though  it  had 
been  cut.  A  piece  of  timber  was  placed  in  the  hole  ;  then  he 
made  them  put  another  piece  across  it  (this  was  more  difficult 
to  accomplish),  and  placed  a  man  at  the  end.  When  the  sec- 
ond piece  was  in  position,  with  beams  on  the  first  two,  it  was 
no  longer  difficult  to  establish  our  bridge.  Railings  were  put 
on  the  side  next  the  precipice,  and  this  wonderful  piece  of 
work  was  completed  in  two  days.  Meanwhile  all  our  pieces 
had  been  remounted,  and  nothing  was  lost. 

On  the  other  side  the  descent  was  easy  to  the  valley,  which 
led  to  the  fort  of  Bard,  which  is  surrounded  by  rocks.  This 
fort  is  impregnable,  it  is  impossible  to  batter  it  down ;  it  is 
one  great  rock,  with  rocks  all  around  it  which  tower  above  it, 
and  which  cannot  be  surmounted.  Here  the  Consul  took 
many  pinches  of  snuff,  and  had  quite  enough  to  do,  with  all 
his  genius.     His  engineers  set  to  work  to  pass  by  out  of  range 


•'  He  had  a  path  cat  in  the  tide  Of  this  mountain."  —  Page  63. 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  63 

of  the  guns.  They  discovered  a  foot-path  among  the  rocks 
which  was  four  hundred  yards  long,  and  he  had  it  cleared 
out  and  made  smooth.  This  foot-path  led  to  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  ;  he  had  a  path  cut  in  the  side  of  this  mountain  with 
iron  sledge-hammers,  wide  enough  for  a  man  to  ride  through 
on  horseback.  But  this  was  not  his  most  difficult  task.  The 
ordnance  was  at  hand,  sheltered  in  a  cave,  but  it  could  not 
follow  the  foot-path,  but  must  pass  near  the  fort.  So  this  is 
the  way  he  managed  it ;  he  first  placed  two  pieces  on  the  road 
in  front  of  the  fort  and  fired  into  it.  He  was,  however,  obliged 
to  withdraw  them  immediately,  for  a  cannon-ball  entered  one 
of  our  pieces.  He  sent  a  flag  of  truce  and  summoned  the 
commander  to  surrender,  but  received  an  unfavorable  reply. 
He  was  then  obliged  to  employ  strategy.  He  chose  good 
sharp-shooters,  gave  them  provisions  and  cartridges,  and 
placed  them  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  or  had  niches  made 
for  them  in  the  rocks  which  overlooked  the  fort.  Their  shot 
fell  on  the  backs  of  the  soldiers,  they  could  not  move  about 
in  their  court-yard.  The  same  day  he  discovered  a  very  broad 
flat  rock  to  the  left  of  the  fort.  He  immediately  made  an 
examination  of  it  so  as  to  plant  two  pieces  on  it.  Men  and 
ropes  were  called  into  requisition,  and  the  two  pieces  were 
placed  upon  this  flat  rock  which  was  at  least  a  hundred  feet 
higher  than  the  fort.  Grape  shot  was  poured  into  it,  and  the 
soldiers  could  not  move  from  their  casemates  during  the  day; 
but  still,  there  were  our  pieces  and  our  caissons  which  must  be 
taken  past  the  fort. 

As  soon  as  Bonaparte  learned  that  the  horses  belonging  to 
the  artillery  trains  had  passed  by,  he  made  preparations  to 
send  his  artillery  under  the  walls  of  the  fort;  he  had  the 
wheels  and  every  part  which  could  make  any  noise,  even  the 
soldiers'  shoes,  padded  with  straw,  so  as  not  to  attract  atten- 
tion. At  midnight  all  was  ready.  The  cannoneers  of  our 
half-brigade  asked  for  grenadiers  to  drag  the  artillery,  and  the 
twenty  men  who  had  climbed  Mont  St.  Bernard  were  detailed 
for  that  purpose.  I  was  among  those  who  were  under  the 
same  cannoneer  under  whom  I  had  made  the  passage  of 
the  St.  Bernard;  he  put  me  at  the  head  of  the  first  piece, 


64  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

and  each  of  the  others  at  his  former  post.  The  signal  for 
departure  was  given ;  not  a  breath  was  heard.  We  passed  by 
without  being  noticed. 

On  reaching  the  opposite  side,  we  turned  immediately  to 
the  left ;  along  the  way  for  forty  feet,  we  were  protected  by 
the  rock  which  overlooked  the  road  and  concealed  us  from  the 
fort.  We  found  the  horses  all  ready  ;  we  hitched  them  up  at 
once  and  started  off.  We  returned  by  the  same  road  on  tip- 
toe, holding  on  to  each  others'  coat-tails ;  but  we  were  heard, 
and  grenades  were  thrown  upon  us  over  the  ramparts.  As 
they  fell  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  no  one  was  struck ; 
we  were  only  frightened  and  went  back  to  get  our  guns.  This 
was  a  mistake  ;  we  should  have  been  told  to  put  them  on  the 
caissons,  and  go  forward  on  our  way.  As  it  was,  we  were 
much  exposed ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  think  of  everything. 

On  our  return  from  this  perilous  undertaking,  the  colonel 
congratulated  us  upon  our  success :  u  I  thought  you  were  lost, 
my  brave  men."  Our  captain  made  us  form  a  circle  around 
him,  and  said,  "My  grenadiers,  you  have  just  accomplished  a 
great  work.  It  is  a  great  credit  to  the  company."  He  shook 
us  all  by  the  hand,  and  said  to  me,  "I  am  much  pleased  with 
your  first  services.  I  shall  remember  you."  Then  he  pressed 
my  hand  again,  saying,  "I  am  very  well  pleased."  We  all 
answered,  "Captain,  we  all  love  you."  —  "Ah,  you  are  very 
kind ;  T  shall  not  forget  it,  and  I  thank  you." 

We  now  went  up  a  steep  foot-path ;  when  we  reached  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  we  saw  the  beautiful  plains  of  Piedmont. 
The  descent  being  practicable,  we  soon  found  ourselves  in 
that  paradise,  and  went  on  by  forced  marches  as  far  as  Turin, 
where  the  inhabitants  were  surprised  to  see  an  army  arrive 
with  its  artillery. 

This  is  the  best-built  city  in  Europe.  All  the  houses  are 
alike,  all  built  after  the  same  model,  with  streams  of  pure 
water  in  the  gutters ;  all  the  streets  are  straight  and  very 
magnificent.  Next  day  we  set  out  for  Milan.  We  made  no 
halt,  the  march  was  forced.  We  made  our  entrance  into  the 
beautiful  city  of  Milan,  where  all  the  people  lined  the  streets 
to  see  us  pass.     They  are  very  fine-looking.     The  street  which 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  65 

leads  to  the  Roman  gateway  is  as  handsome  as  can  well  be 
imagined.  Passing  through  this  gate,  and  turning  to  the  left, 
we  found  a  camp  already  established,  and  barracks  completed. 
We  saw  that  there  was  an  army  there  ahead  of  us.  We  were 
made  to  stack  arms,  and  men  were  detailed  to  go  for  provisions, 
and  I  was  among  the  number.  No  one  was  allowed  to  enter 
the  city.  I  stole  off,  while  rations  were  being  distributed,  to 
go  and  see  the  cathedral.  There  is  nothing  like  it,  with  all 
its  columns  of  white  marble.  I  went  back  to  carry  my  bag 
of  bread,  and  full  rations  were  distributed  to  us. 

We  left  there  the  next  morning,  and  went  to  the  right  down 
to  the  river  Po,  which  is  a  very  deep  stream.  Here  we  found 
a  flying  bridge,  which  would  hold  five  hundred  men  at  a 
time,  and  by  means  of  a  heavy  rope,  which  was  thrown  across 
the  river,  one  could  cross  by  pulling  on  the  rope.  This  con- 
sumed a  great  deal  of  time,  especially  in  transferring  the 
artillery.  It  was  very  late  when  we  reached  the  heights, 
which  were  completely  laid  waste,  and  there  we  passed  the 
night.  Our  division  was  sent  on  to  Piacenza,  a  superb  city. 
General  Lannes  was  defeating  the  Austrians,  and  driving 
them  back  upon  the  Po.  As  for  our  division,  we  were  sent 
from  one  place  to  another,  and  made  to  inarch  in  every  direc- 
tion to  assist  the  divisions  of  the  advance  guard,  and  still  we 
did  not  fire  a  gun.     We  only  manoeuvred. 

We  again  marched  down  to  the  Po.  The  Austrians  seized 
upon  the  heights  before  reaching  Montebello.  Their  artillery 
cut  down  our  troops  as  they  came  up.  We  were  obliged  to 
send  the  24th  and  43d  half-brigades  forward  to  take  possession 
of  the  position.  General  Lannes  finally  succeeded  in  driving 
them  back  toward  Montebello,  and  pursued  them  all  night. 
The  next  morning  he  bade  them  good-by,  and  our  half-brigade 
occupied  the  heights,  which  had  cost  us  so  much  to  take,  for 
they  were  twice  as  strong  as  we  were.  Next  morning  we 
started  out  to  follow  in  the  wake  of  that  immense  advance- 
guard,  and  we  were  stationed  about  half  a  league  back  of 
Montebello,  in  a  broad  walk  in  a  beautiful  plantation  of  mul- 
berry-trees.    There  we  were  made  to  stack  arms. 

We  were  regaling  ourselves  upon  the  ripe  fruit  witli  which 


66 


THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN   COIGNET. 


the  trees  were  loaded,  when  suddenly  at  eleven  o'clock  we 
heard  cannonading.  We  thought  it  was  very  far  off.  But 
we  were  mistaken,  it  was  coming  nearer  to  us.  An  aide-de- 
camp came  up  with  orders  for  us  to  advance  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  The  general  was  hard  pressed  on  all  sides.  "  To 
arms,"  said  our  colonel,  "  forward,  my  brave  regiment !  To- 
day it  is  our  turn  to  distinguish  ourselves."  And  we  shouted, 
"  Hurrah  for  our  colonel  and  all  our  brave  officers  !  "  Our  cap- 
tain, with  his  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  grenadiers,  said, 

"I  will  answer  for   my  company. 
I  will  lead  them  to  the  front." 

We  were  made  to  inarch  by  pla- 
toons, and  load  our  guns  as  we 
were  marching,  and  here  I  put  the 
first  cartridge  in  my  gun.  I  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross  with  my  car- 
tridge, and  it  brought  me  good 
luck.  We  reached  the  entrance  of 
the  village  of  Montebello,  where 
we  saw  a  great  many  wounded 
soldiers,  and  then  came  the  charge 
which  won  the  day. 

I  was  in  the  first  platoon  in  the 
third  rank,  according  to  my  height. 
As  we  were  going  out  of  the  vil- 
lage, a  cannon  gave  us  a  volley  of 
grape-shot,  which  did  no  one  any  harm.  I  ducked  my  head 
at  the  sound  of  the  cannon,  but  my  sergeant-major  slapped 
me  on  the  knapsack  with  his  sabre,  and  said,  "  You  must  not 
duck  your  head."  —  "  No,  I  won't,"  I  answered. 

After  the  first  discharge,  Captain  Merle  cried,  "To  right 
and  left  into  the  trenches,"  so  as  to  prevent  our  receiving 
another  volley.  As  I  did  not  hear  the  captain's  command,  I 
was  left  entirely  exposed.  I  ran  past  our  drummers,  towards 
the  cannon,  and  fell  upon  the  cannoneers.  They  were  loading 
again,  and  did  not  see  me.  I  bayoneted  all  five  of  them,  then 
leaped  upon  the  piece,  and  my  captain  embraced  me  as  he  went 
by.     He  told  me  to  guard  my  cannon,  which  I  did,  and  our 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK. 


67 


battalions  dashed  upon  the  enemy.  It  was  a  bloody  charge  of 
bayonets,  with  firing  by  platoons.  The  men  of  our  demi- 
brigade  fought  like  lions. 

I  did  not  remain  long  in  that  position.  General  Berthier 
came  galloping  up,  and  said  to  me,  "What  are  you  doing 
here  ?  "  —  "  General,  you  see  what  I  am  doing.     This  is  my 


Xi,*u 


piece,  I  took  it  all  by  myself."  —  "  Do  you  want  something  to 
eat  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  general."  (He  talked  through  his  nose.) 
Then  he  turned  to  his  groom,  and  said,  "Give  him  some 
bread."  And  taking  out  a  little  green  memorandum-book,  he 
asked  me  my  name.  "Jean-Roch  Coignet."  —  "Your  half 
brigade  ?  "  —  "  Ninety-sixth."  —  "  Your  battalion  ?  "  —  "  The 
first."  _ «  Your  company  ?  "  —  "  First."  —  "  Your  captain  ?  " 
—  "  Merle."  —  "  Tell  your  captain  to  bring  you   to   see   the 


68  THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

Consul  at  ten  o'clock.  Go  and  find  him;  leave  your  piece 
here." 

Then  he  galloped  off,  and  I,  delighted,  went  as  fast  as 
my  legs  would  take  me  to  rejoin  my  company,  which  had 
turned  into  a  road  to  the  right.  This  road  was  a  sunk  road, 
bordered  on  each  side  with  hedges  and  filled  with  Austrian 
grenadiers.  Our  grenadiers  were  righting  them  with  bayonets. 
They  were  in  complete  disorder.  I  went  up  to  my  captain, 
and  told  him  that  my  name  had  been  taken  down.  "  That  is 
good,"  said  he.  "  Now,  come  through  this  opening,  so  we  can 
get  ahead  of  the  company ;  they  are  marching  too  fast,  they 
will  be  cut  off.  Follow  me."  We  went  together  through  the 
opening.  About  a  hundred  steps  off,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
road,  there  was  a  large  wild  pear-tree,  and  behind  it  a  Hunga- 
rian grenadier,  who  was  waiting  till  my  captain  came  in  front 
of  him  to  fire  upon  him.  But  as  he  saw  him,  he  cried  to  me, 
"  Fire,  grenadier."  As  I  was  behind  the  Hungarian,  I  took 
aim  at  a  distance  of  only  ten  steps,  and  he  fell,  stone  dead. 
Then  my  captain  embraced  me.  "  Do  not  leave  me  through 
the  whole  fight,"  said  he;  "you  have  saved  my  life."  And 
we  hastened  on  to  get  ahead  of  the  company  which  had 
advanced  too  rapidly. 

There  was  a  sergeant  who  came  from  the  other  side  as  we 
did.  Three  grenadiers  surrounded  him.  I  ran  to  help  him. 
They  had  hold  of  him,  and  called  to  me  to  surrender.  I  pointed 
my  gun  at  them  with  my  left  hand,  and  with  my  right  I  made 
it  play  see-saw,  plunging  my  bayonet  into  the  body  of  first  one 
and  then  a  second  of  the  grenadiers.  The  third  was  thrown 
down  by  the  sergeant,  who  took  him  by  the  head,  and  threw 
him  at  his  feet.  The  captain  finished  the  work.  The  sergeant 
recaptured  his  belt  and  his  watch,  and  in  his  turn  plundered  the 
three  Austrians.  We  left  him  to  recover  himself,  and  put  on 
his  clothes,  and  hastened  forward  to  get  in  front  of  the  com- 
pany, which  was  filing  into  an  open  field,  where  the  captain 
once  more  took  command,  and  reunited  it  to  the  battalion, 
which  was  marching  forward  at  a  quick  step. 

We  were  encumbered  with  three  hundred  prisoners,  who 
had  surrendered  on  the  sunk  road.     We  turned  them  over  to 


SECOND  NOTE-BOOK.  69 

some  of  the  hussars  de  la  mart  who  had  escaped,  for  they  had 
been  cut  to  pieces  that  morning,  and  only  two  hundred  out  of 
a  thousand  were  left.  We  took  more  prisoners ;  we  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  them ;  no  one  wanted  to  take  charge  of 
them,  and  they  went  along  unguarded.  They  were  routed 
completely.  They  ceased  firing  upon  us,  and  ran  like  rabbits, 
especially  the  cavalry,  which  caused  a  panic  throughout  the 
infantry.  The  Consul  came  up  in  time  to  see  the  battle  won, 
and  General  Lannes  covered  with  blood  (he  looked  dread- 
fully), for  he  had  been  constantly  in  the  thick  of  the  fight, 
and  it  was  he  who  made  the  last  charge.  If  we  had  had  two 
regiments  of  cavalry,  all  their  infantry  might  have  been 
taken. 

That  evening,  the  captain  took  me  by  the  arm,  presented 
me  to  the  colonel,  and  told  him  what  I  had  done  during  the 
day.  He  answered,  "  Why,  captain,  I  knew  nothing  about  it 
all."  Then  he  shook  me  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  I  must 
make  a  note  of  this."  —  "  General  Berthier  wishes  to  present 
him  to  the  Consul  at  ten  o'clock  this  evening,"  said  my  cap- 
tain; "I  am  going  to  take  him."  —  "Ah!  I  am  glad  of  it, 
grenadier." 

We  went  to  see  General  Berthier,  and  my  captain  said  to 
him,  "Here  is  my  grenadier  who  captured  the  cannon,  and 
since  then  he  has  saved  my  life  and  that  of  my  first  sergeant. 
He  killed  three  Hungarian  grenadiers."  —  "I  will  present 
him  to  the  Consul."  Then  General  Berthier  and  my  captain 
went  to  see  the  Consul,  and  after  talking  a  while  with  him 
they  called  me  in.  The  Consul  came  up  to  me,  and  took  me 
by  the  ear.  I  thought  he  was  going  to  scold  me,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  very  kind ;  and  still  holding  me  by  the  ear, 
he  said,  "How  long  have  you  been  in  the  service?"  —  "This 
is  my  first  battle."  —  "Ah,  indeed!  it  is  a  good  beginning. 
Berthier,  put  him  down  for  a  gun  of  honor.  You  are  too 
young  to  be  in  my  guard ;  for  that,  one  must  have  made  four 
campaigns.  Berthier,  make  a  note  of  him  at  once,  and  write 
it  in  the  portfolio  of  notes.  You  may  go  now,"  said  he  to 
me,  "  but  you  shall  one  day  be  one  of  my  guards." 

Then  my  captain  took  me  away,  and  we  went  off  with  our 


TO 


THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


arms  locked  as  if  I  had  been  his  equal.  "  Do  you  know  how 
to  write  ?  "  said  he.  —  "  No,  captain.''  —  "  Oh,  that  is  a  pity  ; 
if  you  did,  your  fortune  would  be  made.  But,  never  mind, 
you  will  be  specially  remembered."  —  "  Thank  you,  captain." 

All  the  officers  shook  hands  with  me,  and  the  brave  ser- 
geant, whose  life  I  had  saved,  embraced  me  before  the  whole 
company,  who  cheered  me.     How  proud  I  was ! 

Thus  ended  the  battle  of  Montebello. 


-5^%£  rfBSjS^ 


THIRD   NOTE-BOOK. 


THE    BATTLE    OF    MARENGO. 


EXCURSION    INTO    SPAIN. 


The  next  night  we  slept  on  the  field  of  battle.  The  morn- 
ing of  the  19th,  the  drums  called  to  arms.  Lannes  and 
Murat  set  out  with  their  van-guard  to  bid  the  Austrians  good- 
morning,  but  could  not  find  them.  They  had  not  slept,  and 
had  marched  all  night.  Our  half-brigade  finished  picking  up 
the  wounded  Austrians  and  French  whom  we  had  not  found 
the  night  before.  We  carried  them  off  to  the  ambulances, 
and  it  was  very  late  before  we  left  the  battle-field. 

We  were  all  night  on  the  march  through  cross  roads.  At 
midnight,  M.  Lepreux,  our  colonel,  called  a  halt,  and  passed 
down  the  ranks  saying,  "Maintain  the  most  perfect  silence, — 
absolute  silence."  Then  he  ordered  the  first  battalion  to 
move.  We  passed  through  narrow  roads  where  we  could  not 
even  see  each  other.  The  officers,  who  were  on  horseback,  had 
dismounted,  and  the  most  profound  silence  reigned  through 
the  ranks.  We  passed  out,  and  found  ourselves  in  ploughed 
fields.  We  were  still  forbidden  to  make  any  noise,  or  to  light 
any  fire.  We  were  obliged  to  lie  down  among  the  great  clods 
of  dirt,  with  our  heads  on  our  knapsacks,  and  wait  for  the  day. 


72         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

The  next  morning  we  were  ordered  to  rise,  with  empty 
stomachs !  We  went  on  only  to  find  villages  completely 
pillaged.  We  crossed  ditches  and  marshes,  a  large  stream, 
and  came  to  villages  filled  with  shrubbery.  No  provisions 
anywhere.  All  the  houses  were  deserted.  Our  officers  were 
overcome  with  fatigue  and  hunger.  We  left  these  marshy 
places,  and  turned  to  the  left,  into  a  village  surrounded  by 
orchards  and  gardens.  Here  we  found  some  flour,  a  little  bread, 
and  a  few  animals.    It  was  time,  for  we  were  dying  of  hunger. 

On  the  12th  our  two  half-brigades  came  up  on  our  right 
wing,  and  our  division  was  reunited.  We  were  told  that 
the  name  of  the  village  was  Marengo.  In  the  morning  the 
breakfast-drum  sounded.  What  joy  !  Twenty-seven  wagons 
filled  with  bread  had  .arrived.  What  happiness  for  the  fam- 
ished! Every  one  was  willing  to  do  extra  duty.  But  what 
was  our  disappointment !  The  bread  was  all  damp  and  mouldy. 
But  we  were  obliged  to  put  up  with  it. 

On  the  13th,  at  break  of  day,  we  were  made  to  march  for- 
ward into  an  open  plain,  and  at  two  o'clock  we  were  placed  in 
line  of  battle  and  piled  arms.  Aides-de-camp  arrived  from  our 
right,  who  flew  around  in  every  direction.  A  general  engage- 
ment took  place ;  the  24th  half-brigade  was  detached  and 
sent  forward  unsupported.  It  marched  a  long  distance,  came 
up  with  the  Austrians,  and  had  a  serious  encounter,  in  which 
it  lost  heavily.  It  was  obliged  to  form  a  square  in  order  to 
resist  the  attack  of  the  enemy.  Bonaparte  abandoned  it  in 
this  terrible  position.  It  was  said  that  he  desired  to  leave  it 
to  be  destroyed.  The  reason  was  this.  At  the  time  of  the 
battle  of  Montebello,  this  half-brigade,  having  been  forced  to 
fire  by  General  Lannes,  began  by  firing  upon  its  officers.  The 
soldiers  spared  only  one  lieutenant.  I  do  not  really  know 
what  could  have  been  the  motive  for  this  terrible  vengeance. 
The  Consul,  informed  of  what  had  taken  place,  concealed  his 
indignation.  He  could  not  give  way  to  it  when  in  face  of  the 
enemy.  The  lieutenant  who  had  survived  the  destruction  of 
his  comrades  was  appointed  captain;  the  staff  immediately 
re-formed.  But,  nevertheless,  it  was  understood  that  Bona- 
parte had  not  forgotten. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  73 

About  live  or  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  were  sent  to 
extricate  the  24th.  When  we  arrived,  soldiers  and  officers 
heaped  insults  upon  us,  declaring  that  we  had  wantonly  left 
them  to  destruction,  as  if  it  depended  upon  us  to  march  to 
their  assistance.  They  had  been  overwhelmed.  I  suppose 
they  had  lost  half  their  men ;  but  this  did  not  prevent  their 
lighting  still  better  the  next  day.  ! 

There  was  no  longer  any  doubt  that  the  Austrians  were  in 
front  of  us,  in  the  city  of  Alessandria.  All  night  long  we 
were  under  arms ;  the  outposts  were  placed  as  far  forward  as 
possible,  and  small  guard-posts  advanced.  On  the  14th,  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  they  surprised  two  of  our  small 
posts  of  four  men  and  killed  them.  This  was  the  signal  for 
the  morning  reveille.  At  four  o'clock  there  was  firing  on  our 
right.  Our  drums  beat  the  general,  and  the  aides-de-camp  came 
and  ordered  us  to  form  our  lines  of  battle.  We  were  made  to 
fall  back  a  little  behind  a  beautiful  field  of  wheat,  which  was 
on  a  slightly  rising  ground  and  concealed  us,  and  there  we 
waited  a  little  while.  Suddenly  their  sharpshooters  came  out 
from  behind  the  willows  and  from  the  marshes,  and  then  the 
artillery  opened  fire.  A  shell  burst  in  the  first  company  and 
killed  seven  men;  a  bullet  killed  the  orderly  near  General 
Chambarlhac,  who  galloped  off  at  full  speed. 2  We  saw  him 
no  more  all  day. 

A  little  general  came  up,  who  had  fine  mustaches  :  he  found 
our  colonel,  and  asked  where  was  our  general.  We  answered, 
"  He  is  gone."  —  "  Very  well,  I  will  take  command  of  the  di- 
vision." And  he  immediately  took  charge  of  the  company  of 
grenadiers  of  whom  I  was  one,  and  led  us  to  the  attack  in  one 
rank.  We  opened  fire.  "Do  not  halt  while  loading  your 
guns,"  said  he.  "I  will  recall  you  by  the  beating  of  the  drums. " 
And  he  hastened  to  rejoin  his  division.  He  had  scarcely  re- 
turned to  his  post  when  the  column  of  Austrians  started  from 

1  This  paragraph  and  the  preceding  one  were  added  during  the  printing  of  the  fir»t 
edition  made  at  Auxerre,  under  the  supervision  of  the  author.  They  are  not  found 
in  his  manuscript. 

■  Vet  in  October,  1793,  the  Moniteur  speaks  of  this  Chambarlhac,  then  chief  of  bat- 
talion, as  having  contributed  by  his  ooWftfC  to  the  occupation  of  the  territory  of 
Mont  lllauc.     Hut  those  shim-  in  tin-  secoud  rank  who  are  eclipsed  in  the  tir-t. 


74         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

behind  the  willows,  deployed  in  front  of  ns,  fired  by  battalions, 
and  riddled  us  with  small  shot.  Our  little  general  answered, 
and  there  we  were  between  two  fires,  sacrificed.  ...  I  ran  be- 
hind a  big  willow  tree,  and  fired  into  that  column,  but  I  could 
not  stand  it.  The  balls  came  from  every  direction,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  lie  down  with  my  head  on  the  ground  in  order  to 
shield  myself  from  the  small  shot,  which  were  making  the 
twigs  fall  all  over  me ;  I  was  covered  with  them.  I  believed 
myself  lost. 

Fortunately  our  whole  division  now  advanced  by  battalion. 
I  got  up  and  found  myself  in  a  company  of  the  battalion ;  I 
continued  in  it  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  for  not  more  than  four- 
teen of  our  hundred  and  seventy  grenadiers  remained ;  the 
rest  were  killed  or  wounded.  We  were  obliged  to  resume  our 
first  position,  riddled  by  small  shot.  Everything  fell  upon 
us  who  held  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  opposite  the  high  road 
to  Alessandria,  and  we  had  the  most  difficult  position  to  main- 
tain. They  constantly  endeavored  to  flank  us,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  close  up  continually,  in  order  to  prevent  them  from 
surprising  us  in  the  rear. 

Our  colonel  was  everywhere  at  once,  behind  the  half- 
brigade  so  as  to  sustain  us ;  our  captain,  who  had  lost  his 
company  and  who  was  wounded  in  the  arm,  performed  the 
duties  of  aide-de-camp  to  our  intrepid  general.  We  could  not 
see  one  another  in  the  smoke.  The  camions  set  the  wheat- 
field  on  fire,  and  this  caused  a  general  commotion  in  the  ranks. 
The  cartridge-boxes  exploded  ;  we  were  obliged  to  fall  back  in 
order  to  form  again  as  quickly  as  possible.  This  caused  us 
much  mortification,  but  was  atoned  for  by  the  intrepidity  of 
our  chiefs,  who  looked  out  for  everything. 

In  the  centre  of  the  division  was  a  barn  surrounded  by  high 
walls,  where  a  regiment  of  Austrian  dragoons  had  Concealed 
themselves ;  they  burst  upon  a  battalion  of  the  43d  brigade 
and  surrounded  it ;  every  man  of  it  was  captured  and  taken  to 
Alessandria.  Fortunately  General  Kellermann  came  up  with 
his  dragoons  and  restored  order.  His  charges  silenced  the 
Austrian  cavalry. 

Nevertheless,  their  numerous  artillery  overwhelmed  us,  and 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK. 


75 


we  could  hold  out  no  longer.  Our  ranks  were  thinned  visibly  ; 
all  about  us  there  were  only  wounded  men  to  be  seen,  and  the 
soldiers  who  bore  them  away  did  not  return  to  their  ranks ; 
this  weakened  us  very  much.  We  had  to  yield  ground.  Their 
columns  were  constantly  re-enforced ;  no  one  came  to  our  aid. 
We  began  to  retreat,  but  in  good  order.  Our  cartridges  were 
giving  out  and  we  had  already  lost  an  ambulance,  when  the 
consular  guard  arrived  with  eight  hundred  men  having  their 


linen  smock-frocks  filled  with  cartridges ;  they  passed  behind 
our  ranks  and  gave  us  the  cartridges.  This  saved  our  lives. 
Then  the  fire  redoubled  and  the  Consul  appeared ;  we  felt 
ourselves  strong  again.  He  placed  his  guard  in  line  in  the 
centre  of  the  army  and  made  it  march  forward.  They  imme- 
diately arrested  the  enemy,  forming  a  square  and  inarching  in 
line  of  battle.  The  splendid  horse-grenadiers  came  up  at  a 
gallop,  charged  the  enemy  at  once  and  cut  their  cavalry  to 
pieces.  Ah  !  that  gave  us  a  moment  to  breathe,  it  gave  us 
confidence  for  an  hour.    But  not  being  able  to  hold  out  against 


76         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

the  consular  horse-grenadiers,  they  turned  upon  our  half- 
brigade  and  drove  in  the  first  platoons,  sabring  them.  I 
received  such  a  blow  from  a  sabre  on  my  neck  that  my  queue 
was  almost  cut  off ;  fortunately  I  had  the  thickest  one  in  the 
regiment.  My  epaulet  was  cut  off  with  a  piece  of  my  coat 
and  shirt,  and  the  flesh  a  little  scratched.  I  fell  head  over 
heels  into  a  ditch. 

The  cavalry  charges  were  terrible.  Kellermann  made  three 
in  succession  with  his  dragoons ;  he  led  them  forward  and  led 
them  back.  The  whole  of  that  body  of  cavalry  leaped  over 
me  as  I  lay  stunned  in  the  ditch.  I  got  rid  of  my  knapsack, 
my  cartridge  box,  and  my  sabre.  I  took  hold  of  the  tail  of  a 
retreating  dragoon's  horse,  leaving  all  my  belongings  in  the 
ditch.  I  made  a  few  strides  behind  that  horse  which  carried 
me  away,  and  then  fell  senseless,  not  being  able  to  breathe 
any  longer.  But,  thank  God,  I  was  saved !  But  for  my  head 
of  hair,  which  I  still  have  at  seventy-two  j^ears  of  age,  I  should 
have  been  killed. 

I  had  time  to  find  a  gun,  a  cartridge  box,  and  a  knapsack 
(the  ground  was  covered  with  them).  I  resumed  my  place  in 
the  second  company  of  grenadiers,  who  received  me  with  cor- 
diality. The  captain  came  and  shook  my  hands.  "  I  thought 
you  were  lost,  my  brave  man,"  said  he ;  "  you  got  a  famous 
sabre  stroke,  for  you  have  no  queue  and  your  shoulder  is  badly 
hurt.  You  must  go  to  the  rear."  —  <;  I  thank  you,  I  have  a 
cartridge  box  full  of  cartridges,  and  I  am  going  to  revenge 
myself  upon  such  troopers  as  I  meet ;  they  have  done  me  too 
much  harm;  they  shall  pay  for  it." 

We  retreated  in  good  order,  but  the  battalions  were  visibly 
reduced,  and  quite  ready  to  give  up  but  for  the  encouragement 
of  their  officers.  We  held  out  till  noon  without  being  dis- 
ordered. Looking  behind,  we  saw  the  Consul  seated  on  the 
bank  of  the  ditch  by  the  highway  to  Alessandria,  holding  his 
horse  by  the  bridle,  and  flirting  up  little  stones  with  his  rid- 
ing whip.  The  cannon-balls  which  rolled  along  the  road  he 
did  not  seem  to  see.  When  we  came  near  him  he  mounted 
his  horse  and  set  off  at  a  gallop  behind  our  ranks.  "  Courage, 
soldiers,"  said   he,  "  the  reserves  are  coming.     Stand   firm  ! " 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  77 

Then  he  was  off  to  the  right  of  the  army.  The  soldiers  were 
shouting,  u  Vive  Bonaparte  ! "  But  the  plain  was  filled  with 
the  dead  and  wounded,  for  we  had  no  time  to  gather  them  up ; 
we  had  to  show  ourselves  everywhere.  The  discharges  by 
battalion,  by  echelons  formed  in  the  rear,  arrested  the  enemy, 
but  those  cursed  cartridges  would  no  longer  go  into  our  fouled 
musket  barrels.     This  caused  us  to  lose  time. 

My  brave  captain,  Merle,  passed  behind  the  second  battalion, 
and  the  captain  said  to  him,  "  I  have  one  of  your  grenadiers ; 
he  has  received  a  famous  sabre-cut."  —  "  Where  is  he  ?  Make 
him  come  out,  so  I  may  see  him.  Ah !  it  is  you,  is  it, 
Coignet  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  captain."  —  '•'  I  thought  you  were  among 
the  dead,  I  saw  you  fall  into  the  ditch."  —  "  They  gave  me  a 
famous  sabre-cut ;  see*  they  have  cut  off  my  queue."  —  "  See 
here,  feel  in  my  knapsack,  take  my  '  life-preserver,'  and  drink 
a  cup  of  rum  to  restore  you.  This  evening,  if  we  live,  I  shall 
come  and  seek  you  out."  — "  Now  I  am  saved  for  the  day, 
my  captain;  I  shall  fight  finely."  The  other  captain  said,  "  I 
wanted  him  to  go  to  the  rear,  but  he  would  not."  —  "I  can 
readily  believe  it ;  he  saved  my  life  at  Montebello."  They 
took  me  by  the  hand.  How  beautiful  is  gratitude !  I  shall 
feel  the  value  of  it  all  my  life. 

Meanwhile,  do  all  we  could,  we  were  beginning  to  fail.  It 
was  two  o'clock.  "  The  battle  is  lost,"  said  our  officers,  when 
suddenly  an  aide-de-camp  arrived  at  a  sweeping  gallop.  He 
cried,  "  Where  is  the  First  Consul  ?  Here  is  the  reserve. 
Courage !  you  will  be  re-enforced  at  once,  within  half  an 
hour."  Then  up  came  the  Consul.  "  Steady,"  said  he,  as  he 
passed  along,  "  here  is  my  reserve."  Our  poor  little  platoons 
gazed  down  the  road  to  Montebello  every  time  we  turned 
around. 

Finally  came  the  joyful  cry,  "Here  they  are,  here  they  are ! " 
That  splendid  division  came  up,  carrying  arms.  It  was  like  a 
forest  swayed  by  the  wind.  The  troops  arrived  without  run- 
ning, with  a  fine  park  of  artillery  in  the  spaces  between  the 
half-brigades,  and  a  regiment  of  heavy  cavalry  bringing  up  the 
rear.  Having  reached  their  position,  they  took  possession  of 
it  as  though  they  had  chosen  it  expressly  for  their  line  of  bat- 


78         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

tie.     On  our  left,  to  the  left  of  the  highway,  a  very  tall  hedge 
concealed  them ;  not  even  the  cavalry  could  be  seen. 

Meanwhile  we  continued  to  sound  a  retreat.  The  Consul 
gave  his  orders,  and  the  Austrians  came  along  as  though  they 
were  on  their  way  home,  shouldering  arms;  they  paid  no 
attention  to  us ;  they  believed  us  to  be  utterly  routed.  We 
had  gone  three  hundred  paces  past  the  division  of  General 
Desaix,  and  the  Austrians  were  also  about  to  pass  the  line, 
when  the  thunderbolt  descended  upon  the  head  of  their  col- 
umn. Grape-shot,  shells,  shot  from  the  battalions,  rained  upon 
them.  Our  drums  beat  a  general  charge ;  the  whole  lino 
wheeled  about  and  ran  forward.     We  did  not  shout,  we  yelled. 

The  men  of  the  brave  9th  demi-brigade  ran  like  rabbits 
through  the  hedge  ;  they  rushed  with  their  bayonets  upon  the 
Hungarian  grenadiers,  and  gave  them  no  time  to  recover. 
The  30th  and  59th  fell  in  their  turn  upon  the  enemy  and  took 
four  thousand  prisoners.  The  regiment  of  heavy  cavalry  fell 
upon  the  whole.  Every  man  did  his  duty,  but  the  9th  excelled 
them  all.  Our  other  cavalry  joined  this,  and  rushed  in  solid 
column  upon  the  Austrian  cavalry,  whom  they  so  completely 
routed  that  they  rode  off  at  full  gallop  to  Alessandria.  An 
Austrian  division  coming  from  the  right  wing  charged  us  with 
bayonets.  We  ran  up  also  and  crossed  bayonets  with  them.  We 
overcame  them,  and  I  received  a  small  cut  in  the  right  eyelid, 
as  I  was  parrying  a  thrust  from  a  grenadier.  I  did  not  miss  him, 
but  the  blood  blinded  my  eyes  (they  had  a  grudge  against  my 
head  that  day).  It  was  a  small  matter.  I  continued  to  march 
and  did  not  suffer  from  it.  We  followed  them  until  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening :  we  threw  them  into  the  ditches  full  of 
water.  Their  bodies  served  as  a  bridge  upon  which  others 
could  cross  over.  It  was  frightful  to  see  these  unfortunate 
creatures  drowning,  and  the  bridge  all  blocked  with  them.  We 
could  hear  nothing  but  their  cries  ;  they  could  no  longer  return 
to  the  city,  and  we  took  their  carriages  and  their  cannons. 
At  ten  o'clock,  my  captain  sent  his  servant  to  ask  me  to  take 
supper  with  him,  and  my  eye  was  dressed  and  my  hair  put  in 
good  condition. 

We  slept  on  the  battle-field,  and  the  next  day  at  four  o'clock 


I  received  ■  small  cut  in  the  right  eyelid."  — Page  78. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  79 

in  the  morning,  a  party  with  flags  of  truce  came  out  of  the 
city.  They  demanded  a  suspension  of  arms,  and  went  to  the 
headquarters  of  the  Consul.  They  were  well  escorted.  The 
camp  became  gay  once  more.  I  said  to  my  captain,  "  If  you 
please,  I  would  like  to  go  to  headquarters."  —  "  What  for  ?  " 
"  I  have  some  acquaintances  among  the  guard.  Let  me  have 
a  companion."  —  "But  it  is  very  far."  —  "No  matter,  we  will 
return  early,  I  promise  you."  —  "  Very  well,  go." 

We  set  out,  our  sabres  at  our  sides.  Upon  reaching  the 
grating  of  the  chateau  of  Marengo,  I  asked  for  a  cavalry 
sergeant  who  had  been  long  in  the  corps,  and  a  very  hand- 
some man  appeared.  "  What  do  you  want  with  me  ?  "  said 
he.  —  "I  wish  to  know  how  long  you  have  been  in  the  guard 
of  the  Directory."  —  "Nine  years."  —  "It  was  I  who  trained 
your  horses,  and  who  rode  them  at  the  Luxembourg.  If  you 
remember,  it  was  M.  Potier  who  sold  them  to  you."  —  "  That 
is  so,"  said  he  to  me ;  "come  in,  I  will  present  you  to  my  cap- 
tain." He  told  my  comrade  to  wait,  and  introduced  me  as 
follows  :  "  Here  is  the  young  man  who  trained  our  horses  at 
Paris."  —  "And  who  rode  so  well,"  added  the  captain.  —  "  Yes, 
captain."  —  "  But  you  are  wounded."  —  "Ah  !  it  is  a  bayonet 
thrust  from  a  Hungarian.  I  punished  him.  But  they  cut 
my  queue  half  off.  If  I  had  been  on  horseback  that  would 
not  have  happened  to  me."  —  "I  dare  say,"  said  he,  "  I  know 
your  skill  in  that  respect.  Sergeant,  give  him  a  drink."  — 
"  Have  you  any  bread,  captain  ?  "  —  "  Go  get  four  loaves  for 
him.  I  am  going  to  show  you  your  horses  and  see  if  you 
will  recognize  them."  I  pointed  out  twelve  of  them  to  him. 
"  That's  right,"  said  he,  "  you  recognized  them  very  easily."  — 
"All  right,  captain.  If  I  had  been  mounted  on  one  of  those 
horses,  they  would  not  have  cut  off  my  hair ;  but  they  shall 
answer  for  it.  I  shall  enter  the  Consul's  guard.  I  am  marked 
out  for  a  silver  gun,1  and  when  I  shall  have  made  four  cam- 
paigns, the  Consul  has  promised  to  put  me  in  his  guard.  "  — 
"  Very  likely,  my  brave  grenadier.  If  you  ever  come  to  Paris 
there  is  my  address.  What  is  your  captain's  name  ?  "  —  "  Merle, 
first  company  of   grenadiers  of  the  96th  half-brigade  of  the 

1  The  arms  of  honor  had  a  silver  mounting. 


80         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

line."  —  "  There  are  five  francs  to  drink  my  health.  I  promise 
to  write  to  your  captain.  We  must  give  him  some  brandy  in 
a  bottle."  —  "I  thank  you  for  your  kindness,  now  I  must  go ; 
my  comrade  is  waiting  for  me  at  the  grating,  I  must  take  him 
some  bread  at  once."  —  "I  did  not  know  it,  go  along.  Take 
another  loaf  and  be  off  to  join  your  corps."  —  "Farewell,  cap- 
tain, you  saved  the  army  by  your  splendid  charges.  I  saw 
you  well."  —  "  That  is  so,"  said  he. 

He,  with  his  sergeant,  accompanied  me  as  far  as  the  grating. 
The  wounded  of  the  guard  were  stretched  on  some  straw  in 
the  court-yard,  and  amputations  were  being  made.  It  was 
heart-rending  to  hear  their  cries  on  all  sides.  I  came  out 
with  my  heart  rent  with  grief,  but  a  more  horrible  spectacle 
was  to  be  seen  on  the  plain.  We  saw  the  battle-field  covered 
with  Austrian  and  French  soldiers  who  were  picking  up  the 
dead  and  placing  them  in  piles,  and  dragging  them  along  with 
their  gun  straps.  Men  and  horses  were  laid  pell-mell  in  the 
same  heap,  and  set  on  fire  in  order  to  preserve  us  from  pesti- 
lence. The  scattered  bodies  had  a  little  earth  thrown  over 
them  to  cover  them. 

I  was  stopped  by  a  lieutenant,  who  said  to  me,  "  Where  are 
you  going  ?  "  —  "I  am  going  to  carry  some  bread  to  my  cap- 
tain."—  "You  got  it  at  the  Consul's  headquarters.  Could 
you  give  me  a  bit?"  —  "Yes."  .  I  said  to  my  comrade,  "You 
have  a  small  piece,  give  it  to  the  lieutenant."  —  "Thank  you, 
my  brave  grenadier,  you  have  saved  my  life.  Pass  down  the 
road  to  the  left."  And  he  had  the  kindness  to  accompany  us 
a  good  bit  of  the  way,  fearing  we  might  be  arrested.  I 
thanked  him  for  his  goodness,  and  soon  reached  my  captain, 
who  smiled  when  he  saw  my  package.  "Have  you  been  on  a 
marauding  party  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  captain,  I  have  brought  you  some 
bread  and  some  brandy."  —  "And  where  did  you  find  it?"  I 
related  to  him  my  adventure.  "Ah,"  said  he,  "you  were 
born  under  a  lucky  star."  —  "  See,  here  is  a  loaf  and  a  bottle - 
of  good  brandy.  Put  them  in  your  'life  preserver.'  If  you 
want  to  take  a  loaf  for  the  colonel  and  the  general,  you  can  < 
divide  with  them;  they  are,  perhaps,  very  hungry."  —  "That 
is  a  happy  thought ;  I  will  do  so  with  pleasure,  and  I  thank 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK. 


81 


you  on  their  part."  —  "  Come,  first  eat  and  drink  some  of  this 
good  brandy.  I  am  delighted  to  be  able  to  return  the  service 
you  rendered  me  and  the  good  meal  you  enabled  me  to  enjoy." 
"  You  shall  tell  me  all  that  some  other  time.  I  am  going  to 
carry  this  bread  to  the  colonel  and  the  general." 

All  this,  however,  the  captain  set  down  to  my  account.  On 
the  16th  the  army  received  orders  to  cany  laurels,  and  the 
oak  trees  had  a  hard  time.  At  noon  we  filed  before  the  First 
Consul,  and  our  excellent  general  marched  on  foot  in  front  of 
the  remnant  of  his  division. 
General  Chambarlhac  appeared 
on  horseback  at  the  head  of  his 
division,  but  he  was  saluted 
with  a  volley  from  our  half- 
brigade,  and  he  disappeared. 
We  never  saw  him  again,  and 
the  sequel  of  that  story  is  un- 
known to  us.  But  we  shouted, 
"  Hurrah  for  our  little  general," 
for  him  who  had  led  us  so 
bravely  on  the  day  of  the 
battle. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th, 
General  Melas  sent  back  our 
prisoners  (there  were  about 
twelve  hundred  of  them),  and 
this  was  a  great  delight  to  us. 
Provisions  had  been  given  them, 

and  they  were  triumphantly  received  on  their  arrival.  On  the 
U6th,  the  first  Austrian  column  filed  before  us,  and  we  watched 
them  go  by.  What  a  superb  column  it  was!  there  were  men 
enough  in  it  to  have  overwhelmed  us  at  that  moment,  seeing 
how  few  of  us  there  were.  It  was  frightful  to  see  such  a  body 
of  cavalry  and  artillery ;  they  were  three  days  in  passing. 
There  were  only  baggage  wagons.  They  left  us  half  of  their 
stores;  we  got  considerable  provisions  and  ammunition.  They 
yielded  to  us  forty  leagues  of  country,  and  retired  behind  the 
Mincio.     We  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  last   column.     We 


82  THE  NARRATIVE   OF   CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

travelled  along  together;  our  lame  ones  mounted  on  their 
carriages ;  they  marched  on  the  left  and  we  on  the  right  side 
of  the  road.  No  one  quarrelled,  and  we  were  the  best  friends 
in  the  world. 

Marching  thus,  we  came  to  the  flying  bridge  over  the  river 
Po.  As  only  five  hundred  men  could  cross  at  one  time  over 
this  flying  bridge,  we  lost  no  time,  and  continued  our  march 
to  Cremona,  the  place  which  we  were  to  garrison  during  the 
three  months  of  truce  agreed  upon.  Cremona  is  a  beautiful 
city  which  is  proof  against  surprise.  Splendid  ramparts  and 
solid  gates.  The  town  is  considerable ;  there  is  a  handsome 
cathedral  with  an  immense  dial-plate ;  an  arrow-hand  makes 
the  circuit  of  it  once  in  a  hundred  years.  In  the  markets  they 
weigh  everything ;  even  onions  and  grass  ;  it  is  filled  with  de- 
licious melons  called  watermelons ;  there  are  milk  taverns 
there.  But  it  is  the  worst  garrison  in  Italy ;  we  slept  on 
the  ground,  on  straw  filled  with  vermin.  Breeches,  waistcoats, 
and  undervests  were  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Incon- 
ceived  the  idea  of  killing  these  vermin  which  bit  me.  I  made 
some  lye  in  a  copper  boiler  and  put  my  waistcoat  in  it.  Alas 
for  me !  The  waistcoat  melted  away  like  paper,  nothing  was 
left  me  but  the  lining.  There  I  was  entirely  naked,  and 
nothing  in  my  knapsack  to  put  on. 

My  good  comrades  came  to  my  assistance.  I  at  once  had 
letters  written  to  my  father  and  my  uncle ;  I  informed  them 
of  my  distress,  and  begged  them  to  send  me  a  little  money. 
Their  answers  were  long  delayed  but  came  at  last.  I  received 
both  letters  at  the  same  time  (not  prepaid) ;  they  each  cost 
me  a  franc  and  a  half,  in  all  three  francs  for  postage.  My  old 
sergeant  happened  to  be  present.  "  Do  me  the  kindness  to 
read  them."  He  took  my  two  letters.  My  father  said,  "If 
you  were  a  little  nearer  I  would  send  you  a  little  money." 
And  my  uncle  said,  "  I  have  just  paid  for  some  state  lands,  I 
can  send  you  nothing."  Such  were  my  two  charming  letters  ! 
I  never  wrote  to  them  again  in  my  life.  After  the  truce,  I 
was  obliged  to  mount  guard  at  the  outposts  four  times,  as  a 
forlorn  sentinel  on  the  shore  of  the  Mincio,  at  fifteen  sous  a 
watch,  in  order  to  pay  this  debt. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK,  83 

These  two  letters  have  made  me  lose  sight  of  my  subject. 
I  return  to  Cremona,  where  we  passed  three  months  in  utter 
misery.  Our  half-brigade  was  made  up  and  our  company  was 
organized ;  they  took  a  third  from  each  of  two  companies  so 
as  to  make  them  all  equal,  and  they  took  grenadiers  from  the 
battalion  so  as  to  finish  our  quota.  Every  day  we  were  led 
out  on  military  parade,  on  the  great  road,  with  our  knapsacks 
on  our  back,  and  forbidden  to  quit  our  ranks  ;  the  discipline 
was  severe.  General  Brune  was  the  commanding  officer  of  this 
fine  army.  We  could  say  that  we  were  commanded  by  a  good 
general.  May  France  give  us  many  such !  One  would  be 
willing  to  follow  him  anywhere.  Then  during  the  three 
months'  truce  our  army  was  magnificently  re-enforced ;  troops 
came  in  from  every  direction.  How  we  longed  for  the  15th  of 
September  when  we  should  leave  this  wretched  garrison  and 
go  again  into  the  field  ! 

The  happy  day  arrived,  and  the  whole  army  rejoiced.  We 
set  out  to  join  the  line  at  a  strong  town  called  Viedane,1 
where  we  began  to  breathe  freely  and  found  provisions.  Our 
scouts  discovered  a  wine  cave  under  a  mountain ;  we  held  a 
council  to  determine  how  we  should  get  the  wine.  It  was  dan- 
gerous to  rob  the  house,  seeing  that  war  had  not  been  declared. 
So  we  decided  that  we  should  have  an  order.  "  But  who  will 
sign  it  ?  "  —  "  The  pen,"  said  the  quartermaster,  as  he  signed 
it  with  his  left  hand.  —  "  How  many  rations  ?  "  —  "  Five  hun- 
dred," said  the  sergeant-major.  —  "We  must  show  the  order  to 
the  lieutenant  and  see  what  he  will  say."  —  "  Take  it,"  said 
the  lieutenant,  "and  see  if  it  will  work."  —  "Come,  let  us  go, 
we  will  see."  We  started  off  after  having  affixed  the  colo- 
nel's seal.  His  servant  said  to  us,  "  I  understand ;  I'll  seal  it 
with  lamp-black."  We  presented  our  order,  the  distribution 
was  immediately  made,  and  "the  pen"  gave  us  five  hundred 
rations  of  good  wine.  The  captain  and  the  lieutenant  laughed 
heartily  the  next  day. 

We  now  departed  for  Brescia  where  the  army  was  assembled 
in  a  beautiful  plain ;   the  commanding  general  reviewed  us. 

»  This  is  the  town  of  Viadana,  on  the  right  of  the  road  from  Cremona  to  Breacia, 
near  Montechiari. 


84 


THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


Brescia  is  a  strong  city,  easily  defended  ;  a  river  flows  by  it 
which  is  deep  but  not  wide.  Next  day  we  set  out  for  a  march 
to  the  Mincio ;  there  the  whole  army  was  in  line,  and  it  was 
decided  to  cross  at  a  very  high  point  which  overlooked  the 
other  shore.  A  village  concealed  it  from  the  Austrian  army, 
which  was  very  numerous.  Twenty-live  thousand  men  were 
sent  over.    There  was  a  terrible  battle  ;  our  troops,  thoroughly 


beaten,  were  obliged  to  fall  back,  with  loss,  upon  the  Mincio. 
Fortunately  our  army  was  protected  by  its  very  elevated  po- 
sition overlooking  the  plain,  which  prevented  our  being  thrown 
head  over  heels  into  the  Mincio.  General  Suchet,  with  fifty 
heavy  pieces,  fired  broadsides  upon  them  which  passed  over 
our  columns,  cut  down  their  ranks,  and  held  them  in  the 
plain.  Every  one  was  working  the  pieces,  and  our  three  bat- 
talions of  grenadiers  were  obliged  to  watch  the  whole  affair 
without  being  able  to  take  any  part  in  it. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  85 

I  saw  a  brave  act  done  by  a  little  voltigeur.  Being  left 
alone  in  the  plain  by  the  retreating  army,  he  fired  upon  the 
advancing  column,  and  shouted  "Forward!"  His  boldness 
caused  the  division  to  wheel  about;  they  sounded  a  charge 
and  went  to  his  aid.  The  general  kept  his  eye  upon  him ;  he 
sent  his  aide-de-camp  for  him.  When  the  aide-de-camp  reached 
the  spot  and  saw  the  voltigeur,  who  was  still  in  front  of  the 
line,  he  hastened  to  him  and  said,  "  The  general  wishes  to  see 
you."  —  "  No,"  said  he.  —  u  Come  with  me  ;  obey  your  general." 
—  "But  I  have  done  nothing  wrong."  —  "  He  wants  to  reward 
you." —  "Ah  !  that  is  another  matter.  1  am  with  you."  When 
brought  before  the  general  he  was  triumphantly  received  by 
all  the  officers,  and  entered  on  the  list  for  a  gun  of  honor. 

That  evening  we  started  for  a  position  three  miles  higher 
up,  near  a  mill  which  was  on  our  left  with  a  fine  rising 
ground  behind  us.  The  regiment  of  husscu's  de  la  mort  asked 
that  they  might  be  the  first  to  cross  over  so  as  to  avenge 
themselves  for  Montebello.  Their  colonel  promised  fifty  louis 
to  the  hussar  who  should  give  the  first  sabre  cut  ahead  of  him, 
and  they  were  given  eighteen  hundred  men  of  the  Polish  in- 
fantry,1 without  knapsacks.  They  crossed  the  bridge  and 
went  to  the  right  along  the  Mincio;  the  Poles  followed  them 
on  the  run.  They  fell  upon  the  head  of  the  Austrian  column, 
gave  them  no  time  to  form  a  line  of  battle,  sabred  them  and 
carried  off  six  thousand  prisoners  and  four  flags.  Our  three 
battalions  of  grenadiers  crossed  immediately,  commanded  by 
General  Lebrun,  a  good  soldier.  General  Brune  ordered  him 
to  take  the  redoubt  which  was  battering  the  bridge,  and  we 
inarched  on  it  at  once.  They  surrendered  under  fire ;  there 
were  two  thousand  men  and  two  flags.  The  whole  army 
passed  over,  and  formed  in  line  of  battle.  The  columns  faced 
each  other;  we  overcame  them,  took  their  baggage,  caissons, 
and  some  pieces  of  cannon.     The  carnage  was  terrible. 

The  Austrians  took  the  road  to  Verona  so  as  to  pass  the  Adige. 
Our  divisions  pursued   them;    we   blockaded  the   fort  which 

'A  Polish  legion  was,  Indeed,  already  fighting  for  Prance;  but  as  the  law  forbade 
the  employment  of  foreign  troops,  this  legion  was  set  down  as  inarching  on  behalf  of 
Italy. 


86         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

overlooked  the  city  at  a  height  of  three  hundred  feet.  General 
Brune  sent  a  flag  of  truce  into  the  citadel  to  warn  them  that 
he  was  about  to  enter  Verona,  and  that  if  a  single  gun  was 
fired  upon  the  city,  he  should  immediately  blow  up  the  fort. 
Our  three  battalions  of  grenadiers  passed  through  the  city, 
and  the  Austrians  only  looked  at  us.  We  camped  two  miles 
farther  on ;  at  midnight  we  were  placed  on  the  right  wing  of 
the  army  as  outposts.  I  was  on  guard  at  the  advanced  post. 
The  adjutant-major  came  and  posted  us.  I  was  the  first  to 
stand  sentinel ;  they  stationed  me  in  a  meadow,  giving  me  the 
countersign.  "Fire  upon  everything  which  passes  on  your 
right,  without  calling  out  'Who  goes  there  ?'  and  listen  atten- 
tively lest  you  should  be  surprised." 

There  I  was  for  the  first  time  alone  as  a  forlorn  sentinel ;  in 
utter  darkness,  and  kneeling  on  the  ground  to  listen.  At  last 
the  moon  rose ;  I  was  very  glad  to  be  able  to  look  around  me, 
and  I  was  no  longer  afraid.  What  should  I  see  a  hundred 
steps  off,  but  a  Hungarian  grenadier  with  his  bear-skin  cap! 
He  did  not  move.  I  took  my  best  aim,  and  the  whole  line 
answered  the  sound  of  my  gun.1  I  thought  that  the  enemy 
was  everywhere.  I  reloaded  my  gun,  and  the  corporal  came 
up  with  three  men.  I  pointed  to  my  Hungarian ;  they  said, 
"  Fire  beyond,  and  we  shall  see  all  five  of  them."  I  took  aim, 
I  fired ;  nothing  stirred.  The  adjutant-major  came  up  ;  "Hold 
on,"  said  I  to  him,  "  don't  you  see  him  below  there  ?  "  We 
walked  over.  It  was  a  willow-tree  with  a  big  head  which  had 
frightened  me.  The  major  told  me  that  I  had  done  well,  that 
he  should  have  been  deceived  himself,  and  that  I  had  done  my 
duty. 

We  marched  upon  Vicenza,  a  beautiful  city ;  but  the  Aus- 
trians were  marching  on  Padua  by  forced  marches.  .  There 
was  joy  everywhere  on  account  of  our  good  cantonments ;  but 
our  half-brigade  with  a  regiment  of  chasseurs  was  appointed 
to  go  on  to  the  Venetian  coast.  The  general  who  commanded 
this  expedition  had  only  one  arm.  He  had  lanterns  made  so 
that  we  could  march  at  night,  and  during  the  day  we  remained 
concealed  among  the  reeds.     We  had  to  make  small  bridges 

x  In  1870,  such  panics  were  known  ;  they  may  occur  at  any  time. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  87 

over  the  great  ditches  so  as  to  take  our  cavalry  and  artillery 
across ;  there  were  only  marshes  and  fishermen's  huts.  By 
dint  of  exertion,  we  reached  the  appointed  place  ;  it  was  a 
river  of  strong  current,  with  an  embankment  separating  it 
from  the  sea.  This  river,  farther  on,  joined  four  others  which 
emptied  together  into  the  sea  and  formed  an  estuary.  We  had 
to  take  possession  of  all  these  rivers  in  order  to  secure  fresh 
water. 

A  corps  of  the  Austrian  guard  was  stationed  as  advance 
guard  upon  the  great  causeway ;  redoubts  faced  the  river  at 
the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  league.  A  sentinel  was  sta- 
tioned upon  the  embankment.  The  sentinel  spoke  German 
and  made  acquaintance  with  the  Austrian  sentinel.  Our  sen- 
tinel asked  him  for  some  tobacco,  and  the  German  asked  our 
sentinel  for  wood.  Our  sentinel  told  him  that  he  would 
come  with  two  of  his  comrades  and  bring  him  some  when  he 
was  off  duty.  So  our  grenadiers  set  off  with  the  wood ;  the 
others  brought  the  tobacco.  The  next  day  we  promised  them 
a  large  supply  ;  they  were  delighted  and  said,  u  We  will  give 
you  some  tobacco." 

In  the  morning  fifty  grenadiers  arrived  laden  with  wood  and 
were  kindly  received ;  they  seized  the  Austrians'  guns  and 
took  them  prisoners.  Immediately  the  trench  was  opened  and 
the  pieces  placed  in  position.  This  was  a  good  strategic  point. 
The  ships  loaded  with  flour  which  were  coining  down  the  river 
on  their  way  to  the  sea,  fell  into  our  hands,  also  two  ships 
loaded  with  eels  and  fish.  We  had  a  ship  all  to  ourselves,  and 
we  ate  them  cooked  in  every  way. 

When  the  Venetians  were  thirsty  they  came  and  drew 
water,  and  the  general  got  as  much  as  he  wanted  for  it.  He 
had  promised  us  three  francs  a  day,  but  the  accounts  were 
soon  settled  up.  He  did  not  give  us  a  sou,  and  sent  every- 
thing home.  Then  General  Clausel  took  the  command.  We 
were  quiet  only  a  little  while  ;  Mantua  surrendered ;  we  saw 
its  garrison  pass  by,  and  we  had  orders  to  set  out  for  Verona 
to  celebrate  the  peace.  In  this  place,  which  is  magnificent, 
the  order  of  the  day  was  read  to  us,  and  we  learned  that  our 
half-brigade  was  appointed  to  go  to  Paris.     What  joy  for  us ! 


88 


THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


We  crossed  the  whole  of  Italy ;  nothing  can  be  seen  more 
beautiful  than  Turin,  it  is  magnificent.  We  crossed  Mont 
Cenis,  reached  Chambery,  and  from  Chambery  we  went  to 
Lyons. 

When  our  old  regiment  reached  the  place  Bellecour,  all  the 
incroyables  quizzed  us  through  their  eye-glasses  and  asked  if 
we  came  from  Italy.  We  answered,  "  Yes,  gentlemen."  — 
"And  you  have  not  got  the  itch  ?" — "No,  gentlemen."     Then 

rubbing  their  eye-glasses  on  their 
sleeves,  they  replied,  "  Incredible  !  " 
They  did  not  wish  to  have  us 
quartered  in  the  city,  but  General 
Leclerc  compelled  them  to  give 
us  billets,  and  immediately  he  was 


granted  seven  permits  for  each  company,  for  the  oldest  sol- 
diers. What  a  delight  this  was  for  those  old  soldiers  !  The 
Consul  never  granted  so  many  of  them  as  on  this  occasion. 
The  next  day  we  were  informed  that  we  were  not  going  to 
Paris  as  we  had  expected,  but  in  fact  to  Portugal.  The  gen- 
eral counted  us  among  the  forty  thousand  men  of  his  army ; 
we  were  obliged  to  resign  ourselves  to  going  off  in  a  deplorable 
condition,  with  clothing  made  of  all  sorts  of  cloth. 

We  started  for  Bayonne ;  the  distance  was  great ;  we 
suffered  from  the  heat,  but  at  last  we  reached  the  bridge  of 
Irun.     Our  comrades  found  a  stork's  nest  and  took  the  two 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  89 

young  ones.  The  authorities  came  to  the  colonel  to  reclaim 
them  ;  the  alcalde  requested  him  to  restore  them,  because  these 
birds  were  necessary  in  that  climate  for  the  destruction  of 
serpents  and  lizards ;  he  said  that  the  galleys  was  the  penalty 
for  those  who  killed  storks  in  that  country.  Consequently  they 
are  seen  there  everywhere ;  the  plains  are  covered  with  them, 
and  they  walk  about  in  the  streets  of  the  towns.  Old  wheels 
are  put  up  for  them  on  the  top  of  high  posts,  and  they  make 
their  nests  in  the  gable-ends  of  the  buildings. 

Having  reached  our  first  halting  place,  some  of  our  soldiers 
found  some  Malaga  wine  at  three  sous  a  bottle,  and  they 
drank  it  as  though  it  had  been  whey ;  they  fell  down  dead 
drunk.  We  had  to  put  them  in  wagons  and  carry  them  along 
as  if  they  had  been  calves.  At  the  end  of  a  week  it  was  still 
necessary  to  feed  our  drunkards  ;  they  could  not  hold  the  soup 
in  their  spoons.  Not  a  soldier  could  eat  his  ration,  the  wine 
had  been  so  strong.  We  reached  Vittoria,  a  lovely  town ;  from 
there  we  went  to  Burgos,  and  from  Burgos  to  Valladolid,  a 
fine  large  city,  where  we  remained  a  long  time  among  the  ver- 
min. The  lice  make  up  the  soldiers'  beds  by  dint  of  rustling 
among  the  straw,  which  is  only  thrown  down  in  a  heap.  It  is 
the  custom  among  the  Spaniards  to  take  these  lice  up  between 
their  fingers  and  throw  them  on  the  ground,  saying,  "  Let  him 
who  created  thee  nourish  thee." 

I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  made  a  sapper ;  I  had  a  very 
long  beard  all  round  my  face,  and  I  was  selected  by  Colonel 
Lepreux.  I  was  dressed  anew  in  full  uniform,  and  we  were 
quartered  in  the  house  of  a  citizen  where  we  could  get  rid  of 
the  vermin ;  but  at  night  we  were  obliged  to  remain  indoors 
for  fear  of  being  killed. 

As  I  was  walking  along  the  river,  I  met  two  French  priests, 
emigres,  who  were  in  great  want ;  they  stopped  me  to  ask 
news  from  France.  I  told  them  that  I  had  only  passed  through, 
but  that  I  heard  that  the  emigres  were  to  be  recalled,  and 
that  if  they  wished  to  go  and  see  General  Leclerc,  they  would 
be  welcomed,  and  that  the  general  was  the  brother-in-law  of 
the  First  Consul.  They  went  to  see  him  the  next  day  and 
heard  good  news ;  they  came  again  to  me  and  took  me  by  the 


90         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

hand,  telling  me  that  I  had  saved  their  lives.  A  fortnight 
after  they  received  an  order  to  return  to  France,  and  these 
unfortunate  refugees  embraced  me ;  I  advised  them  to  travel 
in  disguise  lest  they  should  be  insulted  on  their  way  to 
France. 

From  Valladolid  we  departed  for  Salamanca,  a  large  town 
where  we  remained  a  long  time  going  through  reviews  and 
making  petty  warfare ;  our  vanguards  reached  the  frontier 
of  Portugal,  and  still  there  was  no  fighting.  They  brought 
away  seventeen  wagons  with  a  strong  escort,  and  peace  was 
made  without  a  battle.1 

We  returned  to  France  by  way  of  Valladolid.  As  we  were 
leaving  the  city,  the  Spaniards  killed  our  quartermasters  with 
clubs,2  and  had  the  audacity  to  come  and  take  our  flags  from 
the  colonel's  guard-house  in  a  village  near  Burgos.  All  the 
men  were  asleep ;  the  sentinel  cried,  "  To  arms,"  and  it  was 
time ;  they  were  just  going  out  of  the  village.  They  were 
caught  by  our  grenadiers,  who  bayoneted  them  without  mercy. 

We  reached  Burgos,  and  set  out  for  Vittoria.  Thence  we 
crossed  the  frontier  on  our  way  to  Bayonne,  our  frontier  city. 
We  passed  all  the  halting  places  until  we  came  to  Bordeaux, 
where  we  were  to  stop.  I  was  quartered  upon  an  old  lady  who 
was  sick.  I  presented  myself  with  my  billet,  and  she  was  a 
little  frightened  on  seeing  my  long  beard.  I  reassured  her  as 
well  as  I  could,  but  she  said,  "  I  am  afraid  of  soldiers."  — 
"Fear  nothing,  madame,  I  ask  nothing,  and  my  comrade  is  a 
very  nice  fellow."  —  "Very  well,  I  will  keep  you  at  my  house  ; 
you  shall  be  well  fed  and  have  comfortable  beds."  Ah  !  how 
comfortably  we  were  housed  !  After  dinner,  she  sent  her 
maid  for  me.  "  I  sent  for  you  to  tell  you  that  I  am  reassured, 
and  that  you  are  very  quiet ;  I  have  ordered  my  servant  to 
take  good  care  of  you."  —  "  Thank  you,  madame." 

We  set  out  to  go  to  Tours  following  the  appointed  halting- 
places,  and  on  arriving  there  we  were  received  by  General 
Beauchou,  who  presented  to  us  an  old  soldier  who  had  served 

1  By  the  two  treaties  of  June  and  September,  1801,  Portugal  engaged  to  pay  25,000,- 
000  francs  to  France. 

2  Quartermasters  go  on  ahead  of  the  forces,  to  prepare  lodgings. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  91 

eighty-four  years  as  a  private  in  our  half-brigade.  The  Consul 
had  given  him,  on  retiring,  the  general's  table ;  he  was  one 
hundred  and  two  years  old,  and  his  son  was  chief  of  the  bat- 
talion. A  footstool  was  brought  to  him ;  he  wore  the  uniform 
of  an  officer,  but  without  epaulets.  There  was  in  the  corps  a 
sergeant  of  his  time,  who  had  served  thirty-three  years. 

After  leaving  this  beautiful  city  of  Tours,  we  went  into 
quarters  at  Le  Mans  (in  the  department  of  the  Sarthe),  which 
is  considered  the  best  garrison  in  France.  The  splendid  na- 
tional guard  inarched  in  front  of  us,  and  there  was  great  joy 
in  the  town,  on  seeing  a  good  old  regiment  quartered  there. 
The  walls  of  the  barracks  were  still  stained  with  the  blood  of 
the  victims  who  had  been  murdered  by  the  Chouans,  and  we 
were  lodged  for  two  months  in  private  houses  where  we  were 
received  as  brothers.  The  barracks  were  repaired  and  we  re- 
mained there  a  year.  The  colonel  married  a  young  lady  of 
Alencon  who  was  very  rich,  and  entertainments  were  given  in 
the  town.  There  were  a  great  many  invitations.  I  was  ap- 
pointed to  carry  the  invitations  to  the  houses  in  the  country. 
The  colonel  was  generous  to  the  regiment;  all  the  officers 
were  invited. 

At  the  expiration  of  three  months,  the  barracks  made  the 
bread-offering,  and  there  were  three  litters  trimmed  with  velvet, 
loaded  with  bread  and  borne  by  six  sappers.  The  colonel's 
bride  took  up  the  collection,  and  my  captain,  Merle,  who  was 
appointed  commandant,  escorted  our  fair  collector.  The  dram- 
major  was  the  porter.  I  carried  the  plate  and  madam e  made  the 
acknowledgments.  Nine  hundred  francs  were  taken  up  in  the 
collection  for  the  poor ;  the  whole  regiment  was  at  the  mass. 
A  litter  loaded  with  blessed  bread  was  taken  to  the  colonel's 
house,  and  there  the  parcels  were  made  up,  with  a  laurel 
branch  in  each  package  and  a  letter  of  invitation.  Two  sap- 
pers carried  the  large  hamper  full  of  blessed  bread,  and  I  was 
appointed  to  accompany  the  two  sappers  who  carried  the 
hamper.  They  remained  at  the  door ;  I  took  a  package  and 
a  letter;  I  presented  myself;  each  time  from  three  to  six 
francs  were  given  me.  This  tour  through  the  city  and  the 
country  houses  was  worth  a  hundred  crowns   to   me.     The 


92         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

colonel  wished  to  know  whether  I  had  been  well  paid  for  the 
trouble ;  I  showed  him  my  pockets.  When  he  saw  all  that 
money,  he  divided  it  in  two  portions  and  said  to  me,  "  There, 
take  half  for  yourself,  and  the  other  half  you  can  divide  be- 
tween the  sappers." 

My  two  porters  knew  nothing  of  what  had  taken  place. 
I  led  them  back  to  the  barracks  and  laid  the  money  down  be- 
fore the  sergeant  and  the  corporal.  They  were  overcome  with 
joy,  when  they  saw  me  place  on  the  table  before  them  several 
handf uls  of  silver.  "  What !  have  you  stolen  the  regiment 
cash-box  ?  For  whom  is  all  this  money  ? "  said  the  ser- 
geant.—  "It  is  for  you,  divide  it;  it  is  earnings  from  the 
blessed  bread."  We  each  had  fifteen  francs ;  they  were  pleased 
with  me,  they  pressed  my  hand.  I  had  my  fifteen  francs,  and 
my  hundred  and  fifty  francs ;  this  was  a  fortune  for  me.  They 
wanted  to  treat  me,  I  would  not  consent :  "  Excuse  me.  To- 
morrow I  will  pay  for  a  bottle  of  brandy,  and  that  is  all  that 
is  necessary  to  be  done.  I'll  do  the  treating,  sergeant,  do  you 
understand?" — "There  is  nothing  more  to  be  said;  he  is 
wiser  than  we." 

And  the  next  day  I  got  a  bottle  of  brandy,  and  they  were 
quite  satisfied.  That  fine  dinner  of  the  colonel's  was  worth  a 
louis  to  me  ;  he  gave  it  to  me  for  staying  all  night.  The  ball 
was  kept  up  until  daylight ;  the  guests  sat  down  to  the  table 
at  three  o'clock,  and  I  was  well  rewarded.  A  fortnight  after, 
I  received  a  letter  from  Paris,  and  I  was  surprised  (but  what 
a  surprise  !).  It  was  from  my  dear  sister,  who  had  discovered 
me  through  the  efforts  of  her  master,  who  had  a  relative  in 
the  office  of  the  minister  of  war.  It  was  a  great  joy  for  me  to 
know  that  she  was  in  Paris,  as  cook  at  the  house  of  a  hatter, 
on  the  Place  du  Pont-Neuf. 

The  council  of  administration  of  the  regiment  had  orders 
to  nominate  soldiers  for  the  cross  of  honor,  and  my  name  was 
put  on  the  list  of  those  who  deserved  it.  My  commandant, 
Merle,  and  the  colonel  called-  me  up  to  tell  me  about  it ;  it  had 
come  from  the  office  of  the  minister  of  war.  I  replied,  "  I 
thank  you,  my  commandant."  —  "The  colonel  and  I  have 
claimed  the  promise  of  the  Consul  to  you  in  reference  to  the 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK. 


93 


guard,  and   I  have  signed  this  application  with  the  colonel, 
it  is  your  due."     A  fortnight  after,  the  colonel  sent  for  me. 


"  The  good  news  has  come.  You  are  appointed  to  the  guard ; 
you  shall  be  paid  off  and  depart.  I  will  give  you  a  letter  of 
recommendation  to  General  Hulin,  who  is  a  great  friend  of 
Go,  tell  your  commandant  about  it,  he  will  be   very 


mine. 


glad  to  hear  of  it."     I  was  glad  to  set  out  for  Paris,  and  to  be 
able  to  go  and  embrace  my  good  sister  whom  I  had  not  seen 


since  she  was  seven  years  old.  My  commandant  did  me  the 
kindness  to  say,  "  If  ever  I  go  to  Paris,  I  shall  ask  to  see  you. 
Now  lose  no  time,  go  back  to  the  barracks." 

I  told  the  good  news  to  all  my  comrades,  who  said,  "We 
will  all  see  you  off."  The  sergeant  and  the  corporal  also  said, 
"  We  will  all  go  as  escort  to  our  brave  sapper."  When  I  was 
paid  off,  I  set  out  from  Le  Mans  with  two  hundred  francs  in 
my  purse  (a  fortune  for  a  poor  soldier),  accompanied  by  my 
good  comrades  with  the  sergeant  and  corporal  at  their  head. 
They  had  to  make  a  halt  and  leave  us  after  going  a  mile,  and  I 


94         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

reached  Paris  the  2d  Germinal,  year  XI,  and  went  to  the  bar- 
racks of  the  Feuillants,  near  the  Place  Vendome  ;  it  is  called 
the  barrack  of  the  Capuchins. 

I  was  appointed  to  mess  with  the  third  company  of  the  first 
battalion.  My  captain's  name  was  Kenard ;  he  had  only  one 
fault,  and  that  was  being  too  small.  As  a  compensation  for 
this,  he  had  the  voice  of  a  Stentor ;  he  was  big  when  he  gave 
command ;  he  was  a  man  who  had  had  much  experience,  and 
was  my  captain  ever  afterward.  I  was  conducted  to  his  house, 
he  received  me  cordially.  My  long  beard  made  him  laugh, 
and  he  asked  my  permission  to  touch  it.  "If  you  were  larger, 
I  would  give  you  a  place  among  our  sappers ;  you  are  too 
small."  —  "But,  captain,  I  have  a  gun  of  honor."  —  "Is  it 
possible  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  captain.  I  have  a  letter  for  General 
Hulin  from  my  colonel,  also  a  letter  for  his  brother,  a  cloth 
merchant  on  the  Porte  St.  Denis."  —  "  Very  well,  I  will  keep 
you  in  my  company.  To-morrow,  at  noon,  I  will  go  with  you 
to  the  office  of  the  minister,  and  there  we  will  see."  —  "It 
was  the  minister  himself  who  found  me  on  my  gun  at  Monte- 
bello."  —  "  Ah  !  after  hearing  all  this,  I  wish  to-morrow  were 
here,  that  I  might  see  if  he  would  recognize  you."  —  "I  wore 
no  beard  at  Montebello,  but  he  has  my  name,  for  he  wrote  it 
down  in  a  little  green  memorandum  book."  —  "  Very  well,  to- 
morrow at  noon,  I  will  present  you." 

The  next  day,  at  noon,  we  started  out  to  go  to  the  minister's 
office ;  we  sent  in  our  names  and  were  taken  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  minister.  "Well,  captain,  you  bring  me  a  fine 
sapper.  What  does  he  want  with  me?"  —  " He  says  that 
you  recommended  him  for  a  position  in  the  guard."  —  "  What 
is  your  name  ?  "  — "  Jean-Roch  Coignet,  it  was  I  who  was  on 
the  gun  at  Montebello."  —  "  Indeed  !  it  was  you  ?  "  —  "  Yes, 
general."  —  "  Did  you  receive  my  letter  ?  "  —  "  My  colonel, 
M.  Lepreux,  did."  —  "  You  are  right.  Go  into  the  office  oppo- 
site, ask  for  the  portfolio  of  the  officers  of  the  96th  half- 
brigade,  tell  your  name  and  bring  me  a  paper  which  I  have 
signed  for  you." 

I  went  to  inquire  at  the  office  ;  they  gazed  at  my  beard 
without  granting  my  request.     This  beard  was  thirteen  inches 


"He  received  us  pleasantly,  and  said,  'You  bring  me  a  sapper  who  has 
fine  beard.'"— Pa  jre  05. 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  95 

long,  and  they  thought  it  was  artificial.  "Is  it  natural?" 
asked  the  chief.  I  took  hold  of  it  and  pulled  it ;  "  See,"  said  I 
to  him,  "it  sticks  to  my  chin  and  is  well  rooted."  —  "  Well, 
my  good  sapper,  here  is  a  paper  worthy  of  you."  —  "  Thank 
you." 

Then  I  took  the  paper  to  the  minister,  who  said  to  me,  "  You 
see  I  have  not  forgotten  you.  You  shall  wear  a  little  ma- 
chine," 1  said  he,  as  he  laid  his  hand  on  my  coat.  "  And  you, 
Renard,  you  will  receive  a  letter  for  him  to-morrow  at  ten 
o'clock ;  he  is  a  soldier  worth  having,  be  sure  to  keep  him  in 
your  company."  I  thanked  the  minister,  and  we  started  off 
at  once  to  go  to  the  house  of  General  Davoust,  colonel-general, 
of  the  foot  grenadiers.  He  received  us  pleasantly,  and  said, 
"  You  bring  me  a  sapper  who  has  a  fine  beard."  —  "I  want  to 
keep  him  in  my  company,"  said  my  captain  to  him  ;  "  he  has 
a  gun  of  honor.     But  he  is  very  small."  2 

He  made  me  stand  beside  him  and  said,  "  You  are  not  tall 
enough  for  a  grenadier."  — "  But  I  would  like  to  keep  the 
place,  general."  —  "We  must  cheat  the  measure.  When  he 
passes  under  the  measure  make  him  put  some  packs  of  cards 
in  his  stockings.  See  there,"  said  he,  "he  lacks  six  lines. 
Never  mind,  you  will  see  that  with  two  packs  of  cards  under 
each  foot,  he  will  have  his  six  inches ;  you  must  go  with  him." 
—  "  Certainly,  general."  —  "  If  he  is  accepted,  he  will  be  the 
smallest  of  my  grenadiers."  —  "But  he  is  to  be  decorated." 
— "  Ah !  that  makes  a  difference,  do  your  best  to  have  him 
accepted." 

Then  we  went  off  to  get  the  cards  and  put  them  in  my 
stockings.  My  captain  managed  everything  well;  he  was 
nimble  as  a  fish  and  soon  got  it  all  over.  That  very  evening, 
I  was  standing  straight  as  a  line  under  the  measure,  and  my 
captain  was  there  also,  holding  himself  very  erect,  thinking 
by  that  means  to  make  me  taller.  However,  I  measured  my 
six  inches,  thanks  to  my  packs  of  cards.    I  went  off  triumphant. 

1  An  allusion  to  the  decoration  which  was  to  ornament  his  button-hole. 

*  To  walk  about  so  much  with  a  simple  grenadier  would  not  accord  with  the  habits 
of  military  administration  in  our  days ;  the  story  shows  how  much  pains  was  then 
taken  with  the  recruiting  of  the  guard. 


96         THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

My  captain  was  also  delighted ;  I  was  admitted  into  his  com- 
pany. "  Yon  mnst  cut  off  your  fine  beard,"  said  he.  —  "  Per- 
mit me  to  wear  it  a  fortnight  longer ;  I  would  like  to  make  a 
few  visits  before  cutting  it  off."  —  "I  grant  you  a  month,  but 
you  must  drill."  —  "  Thank  you  very  much  for  all  your  trouble 
on  my  account."  —  "I  shall  have  you  entered  on  the  pay-roll 
from  yesterday."  — "Permit  me  to  take  my  letter  ?  "  —  "  Cer- 
tainly," said  he. 

He  sent  for  a  sergeant-major  and  said  to  him,  "Here  is  a 
little  grenadier.  Give  a  permit  to  Coignet  to  attend  to  his 
business,  and  have  it  delivered  to  him  at  once  so  he  can  go  in 
and  out.  Put  him  in  the  smallest  mess.  You  have  the  biggest 
man  in  it,  and  now  you  shall  have  the  smallest."  —  "Just  the 
thing,  he  is  alone;  he  is  a  good  comrade;  we  can  say  'the 
smallest  with  the  biggest.' "  The  sergeant-major  conducted 
me  to  my  room,  and  presented  me  to  my  comrades.  One  of 
the  grenadiers,  a  jolly  fellow,  six  feet  four  inches  tall,  burst 
out  laughing  on  seeing  how  small  I  was.  "  Well,"  said  the 
sergeant  to  him,  "here  is  your  bedfellow."  —  "I  could  hide 
him  under  my  coat  and  smuggle  him  off."  I  laughed  at  this, 
and  supper  being  ready  (we  did  not  eat  from  one  dish,  each 
one  had  his  own  soup-tureen),  I  gave  ten  francs  to  the  cor- 
poral. Every  one  was  pleased  at  this.  The  corporal  said, 
"  You  must  go  with  your  comrade  and  buy  a  soup-tureen  to- 
morrow." The  next  day  we  went  to  buy  my  soup-tureen,  and 
I  treated  my  comrade  to  two  bottles  of  beer.  On  returning  to 
the  barracks,  I  asked  permission  to  go  out  until  the  roll-call 
at  noon.     "  Go,"  said  my  corporal. 

I  flew  to  see  my  good  sister  at  the  hatter's  house  on  the 
Place  du  Pont-Neuf.  I  presented  myself  with  the  letter  which 
the  master  of  the  house  had  had  the  kindness  to  write  me,  and 
they  were  surprised  to  see  such  a  beard  as  mine.  "  I  am  the 
soldier  to  whom  you  were  so  good  as  to  write  at  Le  Mans.  I 
have  come  to  see  my  sister  Marianne ;  here  is  your  letter."  — 
"  It  is  actually  so,"  said  he  ;  "  come,  but  wait  a  moment,  your 
long  beard  might  frighten  her." 

He  returned  and  said  to  me,  "  She  expects  you,  I  will  go 
with  you." 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK. 


97 


I  went  up  to  that  big  mother  and  said,  "  I  am  your  brother ; 
come,  do  not  be  afraid  to  kiss  me."  She  came  to  me,  crying 
with  joy.  I  said  to  her,  "  I  have  two  letters  from  my  father, 
dated  from  Marengo." 

Then  the  master  said  to  me,  "That  was  a  hot  day."  —  "Ah, 
true  enough,  sir."  But  she  said,  "  My  elder  brother  is  here  in 
Paris."  —  "  Is  it  possible  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  he  is  coming  to  see  me 
to-morrow  at  noon."  —  "I  am  so  glad.  I  am  in  the  Consul's 
guard ;  I  will  run  back  to  the  roll-call  and  return  to  see  him. 
I  shall  be  back  in  an 
hour." 

I  thanked  the  mas- 
ter and  hastened  to 
the  roll-call ;  I  re- 
turned as  quickly  as 
possible,  but  my 
brother  had  already 
arrived.  My  sister 
had  told  him  that  I 
was  in  the  Consul's 
guard.      "  B  e  w 


If' 

are  »   •/  jj 
said  he    to   her,  "of  !y  1jf 
making  the  acquaint-  !>J^ 
ance     of    a    soldier; 
do   not   bring  shame 
upon  us,  we  have  had 
trouble     enough    al- 
ready." —  "  But,  my  dear,"  said  she,  "  he  is  coming  back  after 
the  roll-call  and  you  will  see  him." 

She  saw  me  as  I  was  returning  and  made  him  conceal  him- 
self. I  said,  "  Well,  sister,  has  not  my  brother  Pierre  come 
yet?"  —  "Yes,"  she  replied,  "but  he  says  you  are  not  my 
brother."  —  "  Indeed,"  said  I,  "  very  well,  tell  him  that  it  was 
he  who  carried  me  away  from  Druyes  to  Etais,  where  he  hired 
me  out,  when  he  had  a  sore  arm." 

At  this  he  rushed  to  me,  and  we  were  all  three  locked  in 
one  another's  arms,  weeping  for  joy  so  loudly  that  every 
one   in  the   house   hastened  to   see  the  poor  creatures  who 


98         THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

were  now  restored  to  one  another  after  seventeen  years  of 
separation. 

The  joy  and  grief  were  so  intense  that  my  brother  and  sis- 
ter could  not  sustain  it ;  I  lost  them  both.  I  buried  my  poor 
sister  at  the  end  of  six  weeks  ;  she  fell  sick  a  week  after  we 
met,  and  we  were  obliged  to  take  her  to  a  hospital,  where  she 
died.  I  accompanied  her  remains  to  their  last  resting  place. 
My  brother  could  not  survive  her  loss.  I  sent  him  back  to 
the  country,  where  he  died  also.  I  lost  them  both  within  the 
space  of  three  months.  I  have  never  recovered  from  that 
trouble. 

Having  done  all  I  could  for  them  I  returned  to  my  military 
duties,  and  told  my  sorrows  to  my  captain,  who  pitied  me  sin- 
cerely. I  was  promptly  provided  with  a  uniform  and  drilled. 
I  continued  to  be  skilful  as  before  in  the  use  of  arms  and  in 
fencing;  I  was  introduced  to  the  drill-masters,  who  pushed 
me  forward  rapidly.  At  the  end  of  a  year,  there  was  a  con- 
test, and  I  was  applauded  for  my  strength  and  my  modesty 
in  yielding  the  point  of  honor.  Afterwards  I  was  presented 
by  the  head  master  in  the  Rue  Richelieu  for  a  contest  with 
some  very  skilful  young  men,  and  there  I  showed  what  I  could 
do.  The  masters  embraced  me  and  skilful  pupils  invited  me 
out.  Our  own  fencing-master  overwhelmed  me  with  atten- 
tions, and  said  to  them,  "  Don't  let  him  deceive  you,  you  have 
seen  nothing ;  he  has  concealed  his  skill  and  behaved  like  an 
angel.  We  could  make  a  master  of  him,  if  he  wished,  but  he 
said,  '  No,  I  will  continue  to  be  a  pupil.'     That's  what  he  said." 

Every  day  I  went  to  the  drills  so  as  to  learn  the  movements 
of  the  guard,  and  I  was  not  long  in  becoming  acquainted  with 
them  ;  at  the  end  of  a  month  I  was  dismissed  and  put  into  the 
battalion.  The  discipline  was  not  severe ;  we  turned  out  to  the 
roll-call  every  morning  in  our  linen  shirts  and  breeches  (with 
no  stockings  on  our  legs)  and  then  went  back  to  our  beds. 
But  a  colonel,  named  Dorsenne,  came  to  us  from  Egypt  all 
covered  with  wounds ;  he  was  just  the  sort  of  soldier  needed 
to  discipline  and  drill  an  efficient  guard.  In  a  year's  time  we 
might  have  served  as  a  model  for  the  whole  army.  He  was 
so  severe  that  he  made  the  most  unruly  soldier  tremble ;  he 


THIRD  NOTE-BOOK.  99 

reformed  all  abuses.  He  might  have  been  held  up  as  an 
example  for  all  our  generals,  both  for  courage  and  bearing. 
A  finer  looking  soldier  was  not  to  be  seen  on  the  battle-field. 
I  have  seen  him  one  moment  covered  with  dirt  by  shells,  and 
the  next  he  would  be  up  again  saying,  "  It  is  nothing,  grena- 
diers, your  general  is  near  you." 

AVe  were  informed  that  the  First  Consul  was  to  pass  through 
our  barracks,  and  that  we  must  be  on  the  lookout  for  him. 
But  he  took  us  by  surprise  and  found  us  in  our  beds ;  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  favorite  general,  Lannes.  A  misfortune 
had  just  happened  to  us  ;  some  grenadiers  had  committed 
suicide,  no  one  knew  why.  The  Consul  went  through  all  the 
rooms  and  finally  came  to  my  bedside.  My  comrade,  who 
was  six  feet  four  inches  tall,  stretched  himself  out  on  seeing 
the  Consul  beside  our  bed ;  his  feet  stuck  out  of  the  bedstead 
more  than  a  foot.  The  Consul  thought  that  there  were  two 
grenadiers  in  a  line,  and  came  to  the  head  of  our  bed  to  assure 
himself  of  the  fact,  and  passed  his  hand  along  the  body  of  my 
comrade,  to  be  sure  he  was  not  mistaken.  k'  Why  ! "  said  he, 
"  these  bedsteads  are  too  short  for  my  grenadiers.  Do  you  see, 
Lannes  ?  All  the  beds  of  my  guard  must  be  changed.  Make 
a  note  of  it,  and  have  new  bedsteads  made  for  the  whole  guard ; 
these  will  do  for  the  garrison."  So  my  bedfellow  caused  an 
outlay  of  more  than  a  million  francs,  and  the  whole  guard  had 
new  beds  seven  feet  long. 

The  Consul  delivered  a  severe  lecture  to  all  our  officers,  and 
looked  into  everything ;  he  had  a  piece  of  bread  brought  to 
him.  "That  is  not  the  right  kind,"  said  he.  "I  pay  for 
white  bread,  I  wish  to  have  it  every  day.  Do  you  understand, 
Lannes?  Send  your  aide,  and  order  the  quartermaster  to 
come  to  me."     To  us  he  said,  — 

"I  will  review  you  on  Sunday;  I  want  to  see  you.  There 
are  malcontents  among  you.     I  will  hear  your  complaints." 

Then  they  returned  to  the  Tuileries.  In  the  order  that  he 
sent  for  the  Sunday  review,  Colonel  Dorsenne  recommended 
that  nothing  should  be  neglected  in  the  uniforms  of  the  men. 
The  whole  store  of  clothing  was  turned  upside  down  ;  all  the 
old  uniforms  were  renovated,  and  he  inspected  us  at  ten  o'clock. 


100       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

He  was  so  stern  that  he  made  the  officers  tremble.  At  eleven 
o'clock  we  set  out  for  the  Tuileries ;  at  noon  the  Consul  came 
clown  to  review  us  mounted  on  a  white  horse,  which,  it  was 
said,  Louis  XVI.  had  ridden.  This  horse  was  of  great  beauty, 
with  a  tremendous  mane  and  tail ;  he  marched  through  the 
ranks  with  the  step  of  a  man  ;  he  was  a  magnificent  looking 
horse. 

The  Consul  had  us  open  ranks  ;  he  walked  slowly  and 
received  many  petitions ;  he  took  them  himself  and  then 
handed  them  to  General  Lannes.  He  stopped  wherever  he 
saw  a  soldier  presenting  arms,  and  spoke  to  him.  He  was 
pleased  with  our  appearance  and  ordered  us  to  march  on.  We 
found  some  casks  of  wine  at  the  barracks,  and  a  quart  of  it 
was  distributed  to  each  man.  The  petitions  were  almost  all 
granted,  and  the  content  was  general. 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK. 

MY    DECORATION. 1    AM    POISONED. RETURN    TO    MY    COUN- 
TRY.  THE    CAMP    OF    BOULOGNE    AND    THE    FIRST    AUSTRIAN 

CAMPAIGN. 

The  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  been 
appointed  to  receive  the  cross  were  summoned,  and  there  were 
eighteen  hundred  of  us  in  the  guard.  The  ceremony  took 
place  in  the  dome  of  the  Invalides,  June  14,  1804.  We  were 
stationed  in  the  following  order:  to  the  right  on  entering,  the 
guard  occupied  the  steps  all  the  way  to  the  top,  the  soldiers  of 
the  army  were  on  the  opposite  steps,  and  the  disabled  soldiers 
filled  the  back  part  of  the  dome  up  to  the  ceiling.  The  corps 
of  officers  were  on  the  floor ;  the  whole  chapel  was  full. 

The  Consul  arrived  at  noon,  mounted  on  a  horse  covered 
with  gold ;  his  stirrups  were  of  solid  gold.1  This  elegant 
horse  was  a  present  from  the  Grand  Turk;  it  was  necessary 
to  set  a  guard  over  him,  so  as  to  prevent  any  one  from 
approaching  him  (the  saddle  was  covered  with  diamonds). 
He  entered.  The  most  profound  silence  reigned  in  the  chapel. 
He  passed  before  the  whole  corps  of  officers,  and  seated  liim- 

1  This  •*  solid  gold "  existed  only  in  Coignet's  imagination;  but  I  have  not  b«*en 
willing  to  omit  any  of  his  naive  statements,  which  give  such  originality  to  his 
narrative. 


102       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

self  on  the  throne,  which  was  to  the  right  in  the  back  part  of 
the  dome.  Josephine  was  opposite  in  a  loge  to  the  left, 
Eugene  at  the  foot  of  the  throne  holding  a  pin  cushion  stuck 
full  of  pins,  and  Murat  had  a  little  boat  filled  with  crosses. 
The  ceremony  began  with  the  officers  of  high  rank,  who  were 
called  up  according  to  their  degrees.  After  all  the  grand 
crosses  had  been  distributed,  one  was  sent  to  Josephine,  as 
she  sat  in  her  loge,  and  was  presented  to  her  on  a  salver  by 
Eugene  and  Murat. 

Then  they  called  out,  "  Jean-Koch  Coignet ! "  I  was  on  the 
second  step.  I  passed  in  front  of  my  comrades,  through  the 
main  body  of  the  dome  and  on  to  the  foot  of  the  throne. 
Here  I  was  stopped  by  Beauharnais,  who  said  to  me,  "  You 
mustn't  go  any  farther."  But  Murat  answered  him,  "  Prince, 
the  candidates  for  the  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  are 
equals ;  he  has  been  called,  he  can  pass  up."  I  mounted  the 
steps  to  the  throne.  I  presented  myself  straight  as  an  arrow 
before  the  Consul,  who  said  that  I  was  a  brave  defender  of 
my  country,  and  that  I  had  given  proof  of  it.  At  the  words, 
"  Accept  thy  Consul's  cross,"  I  lowered  my  right  hand,  which 
was  at  salute  against  my  fur  cap,  and  took  my  cross  by  the 
ribbon.  Not  knowing  what  to  do  with  it,  I  was  about  to 
move  backwards  down  the  steps  of  the  throne  when  the 
Consul  called  me  up  to  him  again,  took  my  cross,  passed  it 
through  the  button-hole  of  my  coat  and  fastened  it  there  with 
a  pin  taken  from  the  cushion  which  Beauharnais  held.  I 
descended  the  throne,  and  as  I  passed  by  the  staff  which  occu- 
pied the  floor,  I  met  my  colonel,  M.  Lepreux,  and  Commandant 
Merle,  who  were  awaiting  their  decorations.  They  both  em- 
braced me  before  the  whole  corps  of  officers,  and  I  went  out 
of  the  dome. 

I  could  scarcely  make  my  way,  the  crowd  pressed  so  eagerly 
around  me  to  see  my  cross.  Some  beautiful  women  who  could 
get  near  enough  to  me  to  touch  my  cross  asked  permission  to 
embrace  me.1  I  served  as  a  paten  that  day  for  all  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  I  met  as  I  went  out.     I  reached  the  bridge  of 

1  There  is  much  less  embracing  nowadays.  But  at  that  time  it  was  still  considered 
a  testimonial  of  esteem,  and  was  quite  customary. 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  103 

the  Revolution,  where  I  found  my  old  regiment,  which  was  in 
line  on  the  bridge.  Compliments  were  showered  upon  me 
from  all  sides.  I  finally  passed  through  the  crowd  and  entered 
the  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  where  I  had  great  difficulty  in 
making  my  way  to  my  barracks. 

When  I  came  to  the  door  the  sentinel  presented  arms.  I 
turned  back  to  see  if  there  was  an  officer  near,  and  found  that 
I  was  all  alone.  "  Is  it  to  me  that  you  are  presenting  arms  ?" 
—  "Yes,"  he  answered,  "we  are  ordered  to  present  arms  be- 
fore those  decorated  with  the  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor." 
I  took  his  hand  and  shook  it  heartily,  and  asked  him  his  name 
and  his  company.  Then  forcing  him  to  take  the  five  francs  I 
put  in  his  hand,  I  said,  "  I  invite  you  to  breakfast  with  me  as 
soon  as  you  are  off  guard."  Lord  !  how  hungry  I  was  !  I 
ordered  ten  litres  of  wine  for  my  mess,  and  said  to  the  cook, 
"  That  is  for  my  comrades."  The  corporal  saw  the  bottles  and 
said,  "  Who  sent  up  this  wine  ?  "  —  "  Coignet  ordered  it ;  he 
was  nearly  starved.  I  gave  him  his  supper  at  once,  for  the 
lieutenant  had  come  for  him ;  they  went  off  arm  in  arm,  and 
he  told  me  to  tell  you  to  drink  his  health." 

My  lieutenant,  who  had  seen  me  receive  the  first  decoration, 
had  kept  his  eye  upon  me,  and  had  caught  up  with  me.  He 
said  very  kindly,  "  You  must  spend  the  whole  evening  with 
me.  We  will  go  and  see  the  illuminations,  and  afterwards  we 
will  go  to  the  Palais  Royal  and  take  a  cup  of  coffee.  The 
roll  will  not  be  called  till  midnight,  and  we  need  not  return 
till  we  choose ;  I  will  take  the  responsibility." 

We  walked  about  in  the  garden  for  an  hour.  He  took  me 
to  the  cafe  Borel,  at  the  end  of  the  Palais  Royal,  and  made  me 
go  down  into  a  large  cellar,1  where  there  were  a  great  many 
people.  They  crowded  around  us.  The  master  of  the  cafe" 
came  to  my  lieutenant  and  said,  "  I  will  order  for  you  any- 
thing you  want.  The  members  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  are 
entertained  gratis."  The  big  citizens  who  heard  .M.  Borel, 
first  stared  at  us  and  then  took  possession  of  us.  Punch  flowed 
freely.     My  lieutenant  told  them  that  I  was  the  first  man 

1  Afterwards  known  by  the  name  of  the  Cafe  ties  Aveugles,  on  account  of  the  blind 
musicians  who  composed  the  orchestra. 


104       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

decorated,  and  then  all  of  them  rushed  up  to  me  crying 
out,  "Come,  let  us  drink  his  health."  I  was  filled  with  con- 
fusion. They  said  to  me,  "  Drink,  brave  fellow  \n  —  "I  can- 
not drink,  gentlemen,  I  thank  you."  Everybody  feasted  us, 
we  were  invited  to  sit  down  at  every  table.  At  last  we 
thanked  the  host  and  bade  him  farewell,  and  at  midnight  we 
returned  to  our  barracks.  My  lieutenant  was  as  sober  as  I 
was ;  we  took  very  little  to  drink.  How  delightful  that  even- 
ing had  been  to  me !  I  had  never  known  anything  like  it 
before. 

Next  morning  my  lieutenant  took  me  to  see  our  captain, 
and  he  embraced  us  both  and  made  us  take  a  drink  of  brandy 
with  him.  "  At  noon,"  said  he,  "  you  will  go  with  the  lieu- 
tenant and  be  presented  to  M.  de  Lacepede,  as  the  man  who 
received  the  first  decoration  ;  that  is  the  order." 

We  took  a  cab.  On  reaching  the  court  we  mounted  the 
great  stairway,  then  the  folding-doors  opened  and  we  were 
announced.  The  chancellor  appeared;  he  had  a  long,  big 
nose.  My  lieutenant  told  him  that  I  had  been  the  first  man 
decorated.  He  embraced  me  and  guided  my  hand  while  I 
wrote  all  the  letters  of  my  name  in  the  great  register.  He 
accompanied  us  to  the  door  of  the  great  stairway.  All  the 
guard  came  in  carriages  to  the  chancellor's  office.  I  paid  a 
visit  to  the  brother  of  my  colonel  at  the  Porte  St.  Denis, 
where  I  purchased  some  nankeen  to  make  some  short  breeches. 
Long  stockings  and  silver  garter-buckles  were  the  rule  for  a 
summer  uniform. 

Nothing  could  be  handsomer  than  that  uniform.  When  we 
were  on  dress  parade  we  wore  a  blue  coat  with  white  lapels, 
sloped  low  down  on  the  breast,  a  vest  of  white  basine,  short 
breeches,  gaiters  also  of  white  basine,  silver  buckles  on  the 
shoes  and  breeches,  a  double  cravat,  white  underneath  and 
black  on  the  outside,  with  a  narrow  edge  of  white  showing  at 
the  top.  In  undress,  we  wore  a  blue  coat,  white  basine  vest, 
nankeen  breeches,  and  seamless  white  cotton  stockings.  In 
addition  to  all  this  we  wore  pigeon  wings  powdered  and  a 
queue  six  inches  long,  cut  off  at  the  end  like  a  brush  and 
tied   with   a  black  worsted   ribbon,  with   ends   exactly  two 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  105 

inches  long.  Add  to  this  the  bearskin  cap  and  its  long 
plume,  and  you  have  the  summer  uniform  of  the  imperial 
guard.  But  one  thing  of  which  I  can  give  no  real  idea  is 
the  extreme  neatness  which  was  required  of  us.  When  we 
passed  through  the  grating  of  the  barracks  the  orderlies 
inspected  us,  and  if  there  was  a  speck  of  dust  on  our  shoes  or 
a  bit  of  powder  on  the  collar  of  our  coats  we  were  sent  back. 
We  were  splendid  to  look  at,  but  abominably  uncomfortable. 

When  I  was  ready  to  present  myself  to  General  Hulin,  he 
received  me  and  made  me  a  present  of  a  piece  of  the  ribbon 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  The  next  day  I  wanted  to  go  to  see 
M.  Champromain,  a  wood  merchant  living  near  the  Jardin  des 
Plantes.  I  went  along  the  Rue  St.  Honore ;  when  I  reached 
the  Palais  Royal  I  met  a  superb  looking  man,  who  stopped  me 
to  look  at  my  cross  and  asked  me  to  do  him  the  kindness  to 
take  a  cup  of  coffee  with  him.  I  refused,  but  he  insisted  so 
that  I  allowed  myself  to  be  tempted.  He  took  me  to  the 
Cafe  de  la  Regence,  on  the  square  with  the  Palais  Royal, 
which  occupies  the  right  side  of  the  square.  When  we 
reached  that  fine  cafe  he  ordered  two  cups  of  black  coffee. 
As  for  me  I  was  looking  at  the  woman  behind  the  counter, 
who  was  very  beautiful.  I  gazed  at  her  with  all  the  strength 
of  my  twenty -seven  years.  The  gentleman  said  to  me, 
"  Your  coffee  will  get  cold,  drink  it."  And  as  soon  as  I  had 
done  so  he  rose  and  said  to  me,  "  I  am  in  a  hurry."  Then  he 
paid  his  bill  and  went  out.  As  soon  as  I  had  finished  my  cup 
I  got  up,  but  he  had  disappeared. 

As  I  was  going  out  of  the  cafe  I  fell  on  the  pavement.  My 
whole  body  was  writhing  with  pain.  I  was  drawn  double.  I 
had  fearful  cramp  in  my  bowels.  The  people  in  the  cafe  ran 
to  my  assistance,  had  me  taken  to  our  hospital  at  Gros-Cail- 
lou,  and  I  was  treated  at  once.  They  made  me  drink  all 
sorts  of  stuff,  warmed  my  bed,  and  sent  for  M.  Suze,  the 
head  physician,  an  excellent  man  who  was  badly  scarred  by 
the  small-pox  and  blind  in  one  eye.  A  nurse  with  bare  arms 
rubbed  my  stomach  with  all  his  strength,  and  another  was  at 
hand  to  relieve  him,  and  thus  it  was  day  and  night  for  eight 
days.     But  still  the  cramp  never  left  me. 


106       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


They  were  obliged  to  put  cupping  glasses  on  my  stomach, 
to  draw  a  blister,  and  when  the  lire  went  out  under  them  they 
cut  the  skin  with  a  penknife.  Then  they  put  a  glass  bowl 
turned  upside  down  on  my  stomach  to  pump  the  blood.  In 
this  way  I  became  so  ex- 
hausted that  one  could  ■  •    -fc4^''<'* '  s'/ ' '  ■jfi&Zs' 

.,■»         -.  *  y> ^_^_ S.Jo  „•  ''■?'■■  ■•' 

almost  see  through  me. 
And  the  nurses  contin- 
ued to  rub  me  night  and 
day,  and  changed  my 
clothing  four  times  a 
day  on  account  of  the 
profuse  sweats.  Every 
morning  I  gave  twenty- 
four  sous  to  my  two 
nurses  for  their  kind 
care.       M.     Suze    came 


three  times  a  day,  and  they  cupped  me  constantly  and  applied 
all  sorts  of  remedies,  but  nothing  had  any  effect.  Nothing 
passed  through  my  bowels.  My  condition  was  reported  to 
the  First  Consul,  who  ordered  two  physicians  to  attend  me 
during  the  night,  and  nurses  night  and  day.  An  officer  of 
the  regular  service  came  every  day  to  ask  after  me.  Every 
possible  care  was  lavished  on  me.  An  order  was  given  to 
allow  all  who  wished  to  see  me  to  enter  without  permits,  and 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  107 

my  greatest  consolation  was  gazing  upon  my  cross  which  was 
placed  near  me.  I  endured  all  sorts  of  suffering  in  the  hope 
of  being  cured. 

I  remained  in  this  condition  forty  days.  A  consultation  of 
physicians  was  held  and  Baron  Larrey  was  called  in.  They 
put  me  on  a  mattress  on  a  table  well  covered  up,  and  he  said 
to  them,  "Gentlemen,  this  brave  soldier  is  full  of  pluck; 
consult  and  tell  me  your  opinion."  They  consulted  together 
and  I  could  not  hear  what  they  said.  M.  Larrey  said,  u  Have 
a  bucket  of  ice  and  some  lemonade  brought,  and  we  will 
make  him  drink  it ;  if  that  passes  through  him  we  will  see 
what  can  be  done." 

A  large  silver  goblet  of  lemonade  well  sweetened  was 
brought  me ;  I  drank  it  and  did  not  vomit  it  up.  The  doctors 
watched  by  me  and  half  an  hour  after  they  gave  me  a  second. 
M.  Larrey  said  to  them,  "  I  have  saved  the  upper  part,  now 
you  save  the  lower."  They  concluded  to  make  me  take  a 
remedy  of  their  own  concoction,  and  it  had  a  good  effect. 
There  came  away  three  lumps,  one  about  the  size  of  a  walnut, 
and  the  others  not  quite  so  large,  and  the  first  was  full  of 
verdigris.  These  were  carefully  put  aside,  and  the  doctors 
remained  two  hours  longer  with  me.  M.  Larrey  said  to  me, 
"You  are  saved.  I  will  come  to  see  you;"  and  he  did  come 
to  see  me  three  times.  I  owe  my  life  to  him  and  M.  Suze.  I 
was  well  cared  for ;  preserves  were  given  me,  and  when  I  was 
able  to  eat  I  had  some  excellent  chocolate  and  four  ounces  of 
Malaga  wine  which  I  could  not  drink.  I  gave  it  to  the  sick- 
est man  in  the  room.  After  the  end  of  another  week  fried 
fish  was  given  me  and  mutton  and  a  bottle  of  wine  of  Nuits. 
I  gave  half  of  it  to  my  comrades.  The  preserves  came  from 
outside,  I  know  not  from  whose  kind  hand.  I  received  visits 
every  day.  M.  Morin,  who  had  a  chateau  in  my  native 
country,  heard  that  I  was  at  the  hospital,  and  came  to  see  me, 
and  offered  to  take  me  to  stay  at  his  chateau  till  I  recuperated. 
I  accepted  his  offer  gratefully.  "  You  will  find  plenty  of  good 
milk  there,"  said  he,  "and  I  will  give  orders  that  you  shall  be 
well  taken  care  of." 

The  faithful  care  of  the  physicians  and  nurses  saved  me 


108       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGN ET. 

from  the  revenge  which  had  been  attempted  upon  me  by  one 
who  could  not  wreak  it  upon  the  First  Consul  himself;  for  it 
was  one  of  the  spies  of  Cadoudal  who  had  watched  his  oppor- 
tunity to  kill  me.  When  I  was  convalescent  I  was  laid  on  a 
sofa  near  the  window  to  get  the  fresh  air.  M.  Suze  had  my 
hair  combed  and  told  the  nurse  that  he  did  not  wish  to  have 
it  cut  off.  It  required  a  great  deal  of  time  and  powder, 
and  the  nurse*  had  to  put  on  a  mask.  There  was  a  double 
glass  to  the  mask  so  as  to  prevent  inhaling  the  poison, 
my  hair  was  so  filled  with  the  verdigris.  This  operation 
occupied  a  whole  hour.  I  gave  the  nurse  three  francs  for 
having  preserved  my  hair.  In  those  days  pigeon  wings  were 
worn,  and  we  had  to  put  our  hair  in  curl  papers  at  night,  and 
in  the  morning  the  hairdresser  came  to  the  guard-house  to 
arrange  our  hair.  At  noon  the  guard  going  on  duty  looked 
very  differently  from  the  guard  coming  in.  We  were  greatly 
relieved  when  the  order  came  to  cut  off  all  the  queues.  It 
created  quite  a  revolution  in  the  army,  particularly  among  the 
cavalry.1 

My  convalesence  was  apparent.  I  told  M.  Suze  that  I  felt 
very  well  and  that  I  wanted  a  permit  to  try  the  air  of  my 
native  region,  as  I  was  invited  to  go  to  a  chateau  in  that 
country  till  I  was  entirely  well  again,  that  the  milk  there 
would  be  very  good  for  me.  "  I  will  give  you  three  months' 
leave  if  you  wish,"  said  he,  "  but  promise  me  to  be  prudent." 
—  "I  swear  I  will." 

He  gave  me  a  pass,  and  on  my  return  to  the  barracks  I  pre- 
sented it  with  my  sick  leave  to  the  captain,  who  had  me  paid 
off.  I  started  off  dressed  in  a  new  uniform  at  the  expense  of 
the  government,  and  went  by  coach  to  Auxerre,  where  I 
lodged  at  Monfort's,  at  the  Paris  gate.  I  remembered  a  rela- 
tive of  mine  there,  Father  Toussaint  Armancier.  I  sent  for 
him  and  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  heard  what  had  become  of 
my  little  brother  whom  I  had  not  seen  since  he  was  six  years 
old.     He  answered,  "  I  know  where  he  is.     He  is  at  Beauvoir, 

1  This  was  not  only  a  question  of  ornament  in  certain  branches  of  the  cavalry. 
The  hussars,  for  instance,  had  a  habit  of  hiding  there  what  gold  pieces  they  pos- 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  109 

living  with  Thibault  the  miller."  —  "  Send  for  him.  My  God, 
I  am  so  thankful !  " 

Next  day  he  came  and  threw  himself  into  my  arms.  He 
could  scarcely  bear  his  joy  at  seeing  me  so  fine,  all  dressed  in 
uniform  and  wearing  the  cross.  "  My  brother,"  said  he,  "  I 
am  so  glad."  —  "I  am  going  back  to  our  native  place,"  said  I, 
"  and  if  you  wish  it  I  will  take  you  with  me  and  put  you  in 
business.  I  have  some  good  friends  in  Paris."  —  "  All  right," 
said  he,  u come  for  me  and  I  will  go  with  you."  —  "I  promise 
you  I  will  be  ready.  Have  you  any  money  ? "  — "  Yes," 
said  he,  "  I  have  seven  hundred  francs."  —  "  That  is  a  proof 
of  your  good  character,  my  dear  fellow."  Then  we  dined 
together  like  two  children  who  had  just  found  each  other. 

The  next  day,  after  breakfast,  we  each  started  for  our 
respective  abodes.  On  my  arrival  at  Courson,  I  was  stopped 
by  a  brigadier  of  the  gendarmes,  named  Trubert,  who  asked 
me  if  I  was  under  orders.  I  answered,  "  Look  at  my  cross 
and  my  uniform ;  they  are  my  passport."  He  was  completely 
dumfounded.  I  went  on  to  Druyes.  On  Saturday  night  I 
reached  M.  Morin's  chateau  of  Bouloy,  where  I  found  I  was 
expected.  As  I  had  come  up  the  valley  no  one  had  seen  me. 
The  next  morning  being  Sunday,  I  dressed  myself  in  full 
uniform  to  go  to  mass.  I  asked  where  I  could  get  a  seat  in 
one  of  the  stalls.  One  was  shown  me  next  the  mayor,  M. 
Tremeau,  who  is  still  living,  and  I  went  into  the  choir.  I  sat 
down  in  the  seat  pointed  out  for  me,  and  the  mayor  seated 
himself  on  my  left.  I  bowed  to  him.  "  Ah !  indeed,  is  it 
you,  Coignet  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sir."  —  "I  was  expecting  you.  I 
received  a  letter  from  M.  Morin  announcing  your  arrival."  — 
"  Thank  you.  I  shall  have  the  honor  of  paying  you  a  visit 
after  mass."  —  "I  shall  expect  you." 

Everybody  came  over  on  the  side  of  the  choir  to  see  the 
fine  soldier  with  his  decoration.  I  recognized  my  stepmother 
in  front  of  me,  and  my  father  who  stood  with  his  back 
towards  me.  He  sang  among  the  choristers.  I  left  the 
church  before  the  mass  was  quite  over,  and  went  to  my 
father's  house.  The  door  was  not  shut.  I  remained  standing, 
and  my  father  came  and  found  me  waiting  for  him  in  the 


110      THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

middle  of  the  room.  I  went  up  to  him  to  embrace  him  ;  he 
pressed  me  in  his  arms,  and  I  returned  the  embrace.  My 
stepmother  came  forward  also  to  kiss  me.  "Do  not  come 
near  me,"  said  I  to  her.  "  I  do  not  like  Judas  kisses.  Go 
away,  I  have  a  horror  of  you."  —  "  Come,  my  son,"  said  my 
father,  "  be  seated.  "  Why  did  you  not  come  to  your  father's 
house  ? "  —  "I  did  not  wish  to  receive  your  hospitality  in  the 
presence  of  your  wife  whom  I  detest.  Strangers  offered  me 
a  resting-place  for  friendship's  sake,  and  I  have  accepted  it. 
I  am  going  now  to  see  the  mayor,  and  I  will  come  to  see  you 


-^•£3*^ 


-<-.,. 


to-morrow  at  noon,  if  you  will  permit  me."  —  "I  shall  look 
for  you." 

I  started  for  the  village  and  found  a  crowd  awaiting  me 
along  the  way,  who  called  out,  "  There  he  is,  good  M. 
Coignet ;  he  has  not  wasted  his  time,  he  has  earned  a  beauti- 
ful cross  !  The  good  God  has  blessed  him  on  account  of  all 
the  suffering  his  stepmother  made  him  endure  !  "  —  "  Let  me 
pass,"  said  I  to  them.  "  I  will  see  you  all,  my  good  friends. 
Allow  me  to  go  on  to  the  city  to  see  M.  Tremeau." 

I  was  received  with  open  arms  by  M.  Tremeau,  who  said  to 
me,  "I  have  ordered  a  seat  for  you  at  my  table,  and  my 
brothers  and  I  will  take  you  out  hunting  to  cheer  you   up ; 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  Ill 

you  carry  your  passport  on  your  breast."  —  "Thank  you;  I 
will  come  to  see  you."  What  a  comfort  all  this  kindly  wel- 
come was  to  me ! 

I  returned  to  my  hotel,  and  the  next  day  I  went  down  to 
my  father's.  I  said  to  him,  "  I  have  at  last  found  my  little 
brother,  after  being  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose  both  the  others, 
one  of  whom  died  not  far  from  you  without  receiving  any 
kind  care  from  you.  This  is  another  of  your  wife's  terrible 
acts,  and  you,  poor  weak  man,  closed  your  door  upon  your 
oldest  son.  You  must  now  settle  your  accounts  with  us ;  you 
know  that  you  owe  us  three  thousand  francs." 

My  stepmother,  who  was  seated  beside  the  fire,  said  to  me, 
"How  could  we  pay  you  all  that  money  ?  "  —  "I  cannot  per- 
mit such  a  wretch  of  woman  as  you  are  to  have  anything  to 
say  in  what  concerns  me.  This  matter  is  altogether  between 
me  and  my  father.  If  it  were  not  for  the  respect  I  owe  him, 
I  would  knock  your  head  off  your  shoulders ;  you  will  never 
pull  my  nose  with  the  tweezers  again.  Miserable  wretch,  are 
you  not  ashamed  of  having  taken  those  two  innocent  creatures 
into  the  woods  and  left  them  there  to  the  mercy  of  God  ? 
Look  at  your  crime,  you  serpent !  If  the  fear  of  God  did 
not  restrain  me,  I  should  kill  you."  My  father  was  very  pale. 
I  was  trembling  from  the  outburst  I  had  permitted  myself  to 
make  before  him,  but  I  felt  that  I  had  gained  some  satisfac- 
tion from  it. 

All  through  the  country  they  talked  of  nothing  but  me.  I 
received  visits  from  every  direction,  which  I  returned,  and 
was  everywhere  received  with  friendly  kindness.  I  received 
a  letter  from  M.  de  la  Bergerie,  prefect  of  the  Yonne,  written 
by  command  of  Marshal  Davoust,  who  had  arrived  at 
Auxerre,  requesting  me  to  meet  the  marshal  and  take  part  in 
a  wolf-hunt  in  the  forest  of  Fretoy,  near  Courson.  I  went, 
accompanied  by  the  Messrs.  Tremeau.  who  very  kindly  told  me 
that  to  save  my  uniform  I  ought  to  go  in  hunting  dress.  I 
looked  like  a  real  huntsman  with  my  ribbon  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor.  The  marshal  recognized  me  immediately.  "  Here  is 
my  grenadier,"  said  he  to  the  prefect;  "you  can  follow  the 
hunt  all  day  long."     The  guards  found  a  plaee  for  us,  and  the 


112       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

huntsmen  who  beat  about  the  bushes  started  off  at  a  given 
signal.  Two  wolves  and  some  foxes  were  killed.  Shooting 
deer  was  forbidden,  but  we  were  allowed  to  hunt  other  game 
in  the  evening  and  to  fire  on  all.  The  hunt  was  over  at  four 
o'clock,  and  the  Messrs.  Tremeau  and  I  were  invited  to 
dinner.  The  dinner  was  a  splendid  affair.  I  was  triumph- 
antly received.  The  marshal  said  to  the  prefect,  "This  is 
the  smallest  of  my  grenadiers.  Now  make  yourself  thor- 
oughly happy  in  your  native  place. "  We  left  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  the  Messrs.  Tremeau  were  charmed 
with  the  cordial  welcome  of  the  prefect  and  the  marshal ; 
our  game-bags  were  well  filled  with  hares. 

I  spent  my  time  in  hunting.  I  went  to  see  my  father,  who 
invited  me  to  go  on  a  hunting-party  with  him.  I  could  not 
refuse.  When  we  reached  the  rendezvous,  he  said  to  me, 
"  Here  is  the  trail  of  three  deer  which  must  have  spent  the 
night  in  this  underwood ;  they  cannot  be  far  off.  Come,  I 
will  station  you.  Hold  on  to  my  dog,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  walk  on  right  ahead  of  you.  As  soon  as 
I  fire  let  him  loose."  I  started  off,  and  about  half  way  I 
heard  two  reports  of  a  gun.  I  let  the  dog  loose,  and  heard 
my  father  cry  to  me,  "  This  way."  I  ran  to  him,  and  to  my 
astonishment  saw  two  deer  upon  the  ground.  "  I  have  killed 
two  of  them,  and  would  have  killed  the  third  if  I  had  not 
been  in  such  a  hurry.  Let  us  go  to  the  farm.  They  will 
come  to  look  for  us ;  but  first  each  of  us  must  have  a  hare.  I 
know  where  to  find  them."  In  an  hour's  time  the  hares  were 
in  our  game-bags.  "That  is  enough,"  said  I,  "let  us  go 
back." 

I  went  around  to  all  my  friends  and  said  good-by  before 
going  to  Beauvoir  to  see  Father  Thibault,  and  get  my  young 
brother  to  take  him  with  me  to  Paris.  I  let  no  one  know 
when  I  was  to  leave  except  my  comrade  Allard,  and  I  started 
off  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

When  I  reached  Paris,  I  immediately  placed  my  brother 
with  a  wine-merchant ;  I  returned  to  my  barracks,  where  my 
comrades  welcomed  me  heartily.  I  drew  my  whole  pay  and 
three  months  of  my  pension,  as  member  of  the  Legion ;  this 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  113 

gave  me  two  hundred  francs,  and  quite  set  me  up.  Being 
exempt  from  service  for  a  month  by  order  of  the  captain,  I 
was  completely  restored  to  health,  and  ready  for  the  next 
campaign. 

It  was  said  that  preparations  were  being  made  for  a  descent 
upon  England.  Hammocks  were  made  for  the  whole  guard, 
with  bedclothes  for  each.  The  camp  of  Boulogne  was  in  great 
commotion,  and  we  were  pretty  lively  at  Paris.  But  our  turn 
came  to  take  part  in  movements  by  land  and  sea,  after  grand 
reviews  and  drills  in  the  plain  of  St.  Denis,  where  we  were 
obliged  to  be  out  in  the  rain  all  day  long.  The  barrels  of  our 
guns  became  filled  with  water  when  we  carried  arms.  The 
"great  man"  never  budged;  the  water  ran  down  his  sides; 
he  did  not  let  us  off  even  for  half  an  hour.  His  hat  drooped 
upon  his  shoulders,  his  generals  looked  discomforted:  but  he 
took  no  notice  of  any  of  it.  At  last  he  made  us  march  past, 
and  when  we  reached  Courbevoie  we  were  paddling  about 
like  ducks  in  the  yard ;  but  we  found  wine  there,  and  so  we 
thought  no  more  about  it.  The  next  day,  the  order  was  read 
that  we  should  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  to  march.  "  Make 
up  your  knapsacks,"  said  our  officers,  "  and  say  good-by  to 
every  one,  for  only  the  veterans  will  be  left." 

The  order  came  ;  we  were  obliged  to  put  all  the  bedding  into 
the  storehouse,  and  sleep  on  the  straw,  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
leave  for  Boulogne.  We  camped  at  the  port  of  Ambleteuse, 
where  a  splendid  camp  was  formed ;  General  Oudinot  was 
above  us  with  twelve  thousand  grenadiers,  who  formed  a  part 
of  the  reserve  force.  And  every  day  we  drilled  and  drilled. 
We  were  divided  into  brigades  for  service  by  turns  on  sea. 
We  were  put  very  far  out,  in  a  line,  with  two  hundred  pin- 
naces. The  whole  of  this  little  fleet,  divided  into  sections, 
was  commanded  by  a  good  admiral,  who  was  on  a  fine  frigate 
in  the  middle. 

Thus  for  twenty  days  we  worked  the  pieces,  and  were  both 
gunners  and  sailors.  The  sailors,  gunners,  and  soldiers  all 
moved  as  one  man ;  there  was  perfect  harmony  on  board  the 
fleet.  At  night  there  was  the  cry  of  "  All's  well ! "  and  the 
last  man  answered,  "All's  well,  ay,  ay!"     In  the  morning, 


114       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGN ET. 

the  speaking  trumpets  asked  the  news  of  the  night.  "What 
is  the  news  on  board  your  ship  ?  "  —  "  Two  grenadiers  threw 
themselves  into  the  water."  —  "  Were  they  drowned  ?  "  —  "  Yes," 
was  the  answer,  "yes,  my  commander."  —  "All  right."  He 
said  "  all  right "  merely  to  indicate  that  he  had  understood. 

Once  I  was  put  on  a  sloop  of  war  with  ten  heavy  pieces  of 
cannon,  a  hundred  grenadiers,  and  a  captain  covered  with 
wounds.  I  was  right-hand  man  to  one  of  the  guns,  for  it  was 
necessary  to  do  something  of  everything ;  and  one  half  of  us 
remained  on  deck  all  night.  When  my  turn  came  to  go  down 
to  rest  in  my  hammock,  I  said,  "  Come  on,  old  man,  here  you 
go  to  your  hammock  ;  now  you  can  rest."  The  head  steward's 
mate  heard  me.  "  Where  is  this  old  soldier  ?  "  —  "  It  is  I," 
said  I.  —  "  Where  is  your  hammock  ?  I  want  to  put  you  in  a 
good  place."  Then  he  hung  my  hammock  near  the  biscuit 
chests,  and  raised  a  plank.  "  Eat  some  biscuits,  and  to-morrow 
I  will  give  you  a  gill."  This  was  a  small  measure  for  brandy. 
We  ate  out  of  wooden  bowls,  with  wooden  spoons,  beans  which 
dated  from  the  creation  of  the  world.  All  the  rations  for  each 
mess  were  put  up  in  bundles ;  we  had  fresh  meat  and  sole. 

While  I  was  at  the  camp  at  Ambleteuse,  I  received  a  visit 
from  my  old  bedfellow,  from  the  company  to  which  I  had 
first  been  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  guard.  I  have  already 
said  that  he  was  the  tallest  of  all  the  grenadiers  ;  he  was, 
moreover,  a  jolly  fellow,  good-natured  and  full  of  fun,  and 
somewhat  of  a  joker.  I  cannot  remember  his  name,  I  only 
remember  that  he  was  the  son  of  an  innkeeper  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Meudon.  He  had  left  the  guard  in  consequence  of  a 
singular  adventure.  One  day  we  were  on  duty  at  the  Tuileries ; 
he  was  stationed  at  the  door  opening  into  the  Consul's  own 
chamber.  When  the  Consul  came  at  night  to  go  to  bed,  he 
stopped,  dumfounded.  There  was  more  than  sufficient  cause 
for  his  astonishment.  Imagine  a  man  six  feet  four  inches 
tall,  wearing  a  bear-skin  cap  eighteen  inches  high  and  a  plume 
at  least  a  foot  higher  than  the  cap.  He  called  me  his  dwarf, 
and  when  he  held  out  his  arm  horizontally,  I  could  walk  under 
without  touching  it.  The  First  Consul  was  still  shorter  than 
I,  and  I  think  he  was  obliged  to  raise  his  head  higher  than 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


115 


usual  to  see  my  comrade's  face.  After  examining  him  a 
moment,  he  saw  that,  moreover,  he  was  perfectly  formed. 
"Would  you  like  to  be  a  drum-major  ?  "  said  he  to  the  man. 
—  "  Yes,  Consul."  —  u  Very  well,  go  send  your  officer  to  me." 

At  these  words  the  grenadier  put  down  his  gun  and  rushed 
off,  then  he  stopped  and  came  back  to  get  it  again,  saying  that 
a  good  soldier  should  never  leave  his  gun.  "Never  mind," 
said  the  First  Consul,  "I  will  watch  it,  and  wait  for  you." 
A  minute  after,  my  comrade  arrived  at  our  post.  The 
officer,  surprised  at  seeing  him, 
asked  roughly  what  had  happened. 
"Well,  by  my  soul,"  replied  he 
with  his  bantering  air,  "I  had 
stood  guard  long  enough.  I  have 
left  some  one  on  duty  in  my 
place."  —  "  Whom,  then  ?  "  cried 
the  officer.  —  "  The  little  corporal, 
to  be  sure."  —  "  Come,  none  of  this 
ill-timed  joking."  —  "I  am  not  jok- 
ing; he  ought  to  take  his  turn 
mounting  guard  ;  besides,  he  is  ask- 
ing for  you;  come  to  him,  he  sent 
me  for  you." 

The   officer's  astonishment  gave 
place     to    terror,     for    Bonaparte  *y« 
rarely  sent  for  the  officers  to  come 

to    him    except    to    give    them    a  **«*-•% 

scolding.  This  one  of  ours  went  out  discomforted,  following 
his  new  guide.  They  found  the  First  Consul  walking  up  and 
down  the  vestibule,  beside  the  gun.  "  Sir,"  said  he  to  the 
officer,  "does  this  soldier  bear  a  good  character?"  —  "Yes, 
general."  —  "Then  I  appoint  him  drum-major  in  my  cousin's 
regiment.  I  will  pay  him  three  francs  a  day  from  my  private 
purse,  and  the  regiment  will  give  him  as  much  more.  (Jive 
orders  to  have  him  relieved  from  duty,  and  let  him  start  off 
to-morrow." 

No    sooner    said    than    done.      My    comrade    immediately 
entered  upon  his  new  duties,  and  when  he  came  to  see  us  at 


116       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

Ambleteuse,  he  had  on  a  prodigiously  fine  uniform,  all  covered 
with  gold  lace,  as  handsome  as  that  of  the  drum-major  of  the 
guard.  He  got  permission  for  me  to  leave  the  camp,  took  me 
to  Boulogne  and  treated  me  to  a  dinner. 

That  evening  I  left  him  to  return  to  Ambleteuse.  I  was 
alone •,  as  I  was  going  along  I  met  two  grenadiers  of  the  line, 
who  wanted  to  arrest  me.  At  that  time  the  soldiers  of  the 
guard  were  exposed  to  frequent  attacks.  There  was  in  the 
camp  of  Boulogne  what  was  called  the  "  company  of  the 
moon,"  which  was  composed  of  brigands  and  jealous  fellows 
who  took  advantage  of  the  night  hours  to  plunder  those  of  us 
whom  they  found  alone,  steal  their  watches  and  silver  buckles, 
and  throw  them  into  the  sea.  It  was  found  necessary  to  for- 
bid our  returning  to  the  camp  at  night  unless  there  were  sev- 
eral in  a  party.  I  got  out  of  my  difficulty  by  dint  of  audacity. 
I  had  my  sabre  and  my  seven  years  in  the  fencing-school.  I 
drew  sabre,  and  defied  my  assailants.  They  thought  it  prudent 
to  allow  me  to  pass  on  ;  but  if  I  had  shown  any  signs  of  weak- 
ness I  should  have  been  lost,  and  my  drum-major's  dinner 
would  have  cost  me  very  dear. 

One  day  Messrs.  the  Englishmen  came  in  a  large  squad- 
ron to  make  us  a  visit.  A  vessel  of  seventy-four  was  insolent 
enough  to  come  near  the  shore.  She  brought  her  broadside 
to  bear,  and  sent  a  volley  of  balls  into  our  camp.  We  had 
some  big  mortars  on  the  height;  a  sergeant  of  grenadiers 
asked  permission  to  fire  on  this  ship,  saying  that  he  would 
guarantee  to  send  her  a-leak  the  first  or  second  fire.  "  Go 
to  work  then.  What  is  your  name  ? "  said  the  Consul.  — 
"  Despienne."  —  "  Give  me  your  address." 

The  first  bomb  passed  over  it.  "You  have  missed  your 
aim,"  said  our  little  corporal.  —  "All  right,"  said  the  ser- 
geant. "  Watch  this  one."  He  took  aim,  and  sent  a  bomb 
into  the  middle  of  the  ship.  Then  there  was  a  cry  of  joy.  "  I 
will  make  you  lieutenant  in  my  artillery,"  said  he  to  Despienne. 
Then  the  English  fired  blank  cartridges  calling  for  aid,  for  their 
ship  was  on  fire.  They  leaped  into  our  boats  as  well  as  into 
their  own.  Our  little  flotilla  pursued  their  big  ships.  It  was 
a  sight  to  see  our  little  pugs  after  their  big  house-dogs.     The 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  117 

English  tried  to  return  to  the  charge,  but  they  were  roughly 
received.  We  were  in  good  condition.  Our  little  boats  made 
havoc  of  them.  Every  one  of  our  shots  struck,  and  their 
broadsides  passed  over  our  pinnaces.  We  were  ordered  to 
return  to  port  so  as  to  make  a  general  movement  all  along  the 
line.  Never  had  there  been  seen  such  a  sight  as  a  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  men  tiring  by  battalions ;  the  whole  shore 
shook. 

All  the  preparations  were  made  for  the  descent,  and  one 
Thursday  evening  we  set  sail  for  the  coasts  of  England, 
expecting  to  reach  there  on  Friday.  But  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening  we  were  made  to  land  with  our  knapsacks  on  our 
backs,  and  start  for  the  bridge  of  Briques  where  we  were  to 
leave  our  blankets.  There  were  shouts  of  joy.  In  an  hour 
the  whole  of  the  artillery  was  on  the  inarch  for  the  town  of 
Arras.  Never  was  there  such  a  terrible  march.  We  had  not 
a  moment  for  sleep,  marching  by  platoon  all  day  and  all 
night,  and  at  last  holding  on  to  each  other  to  prevent  falling. 
Those  who  fell  could  not  be  wakened.  Some  fell  into  the 
ditches.  Blows  with  the  flat  of  the  sabre  had  no  effect  upon 
them.  The  music  played,  drums  beat  a  charge ;  nothing  got 
the  better  of  sleep.  The  nights  were  terrible.  I  was  on  the 
right  of  a  section.  About  midnight  I  fell  down  on  the  right 
on  the  declivity  of  the  road.  I  turned  over  on  my  side,  and 
went  rolling  down,  never  stopping  till  I  reached  an  open  field. 
I  did  not  let  go  my  gun,  but  I  rolled  into  the  other  world.  My 
brave  captain  sent  some  one  down  to  look  after  me.  I  was 
all  broken  up.  They  took  my  knapsack  and  my  gun.  I  was 
now  thoroughly  awake. 

When  we  reached  the  heights  of  Saverne,  the  sleepers 
had  to  be  put  into  carriages.  At  last  we  arrived  at  Strassburg. 
where  we  found  the  Emperor,  who  reviewed  us  the  next  day 
and  distributed  crosses.  Two  nights'  rest  put  us  in  good  con- 
dition. We  crossed  the  Rhine  and  marched  by  long  stages 
upon  Augsburg,  and  thence  on  to  Ulm,  where  we  found  a 
considerable  army  which  we  had  to  drive  beyond  a  rapid 
river,  before  taking  possession  of  a  convent  on  an  impreg- 
nable height. 


118       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


Marshal  Ney,  standing  in  the  water  np  to  his  horse's  belly, 
had  the  bridge  repaired  in  spite  of  the  grape-shot.  The  sap- 
pers were  cut  down,  and  still  this  intrepid  Ney  did  not  budge. 
As  soon  as  the  first  truss  was  placed,  the  grenadiers  and  light- 
horsemen  crossed  over  to  support  the  sappers,  and  the  marshal 
came  galloping  up  to  Prince  Murat,  took  him  by  the  hand 
and  said,  "  Prince,  the  bridge  is  finished.  I  need  your  sup- 
port." —  "I  will  start  at  once,"  said  he,  "  with  my  division  of 
dragoons." 


Off  they  went  at  a  gallop, 
that  the  bridge  was  flooded; 


The  weather  was  so  terrible 
we  never  saw  it  again.  We 
were  stationed  near  this 
river  in  a  meadow ;  the 
water  rose  rapidly,  it 
was  soon  up  to  our 
'  knees.  The  guard  had 
to  paddle  about  like 
ducks.  Every  one  be- 
gan to  laugh  and  walk 
gayly  through  the  water. 
I  had  my  pot  in  my 
knapsack;  it  was  not 
upside  down,  so  it  got 
full  of  water,  and  I 
poured  it  over  my  com- 
rades' legs.  The  barrels  of  our  guns  were  full  also.  We 
could  not  change  our  position ;  the  whole  of  the  marshal's 
were  waiting  for  the  water  to  fall  so  they  could 
the  soldiers  were  in  the  mud ;  we  were  in  the  best 
At  last  the  waters  subsided.  We  could  see  the 
planks  of  the  bridge.  The  troops  pulled  themselves  out  of 
the  mud  and  washed  their  legs  as  they  were  crossing  the 
bridge.  Our  ducks  in  their  turn  came  up  out  of  the  meadow, 
and  the  columns  arrived  at  the  foot  of  that  tremendous 
mountain,  defended  by  very  considerable  forces.  But  noth- 
ing could  resist  Marshal  Ney.  On  reaching  the  village  of 
Elchingen,  he  attacked  it,  one  house  after  another,  and  there 
were  gardens  surrounded  by  walls,  over  which  we  had  to 


corps 
cross ; 
place. 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  119 

climb.  This  extraordinary  village  was  taken  with  the  bayo- 
net, and  our  columns  reached  the  convent  which  overlooked 
the  town. 

The  Emperor  then  marched  us  off  at  quickstep  to  complete 
the  overthrow  of  General  Mack.  The  Austrians  fought  with 
determination.  Behind  this  village  were  some  scantily 
wooded  fields,  where  we  could  manoeuvre,  and  the  chain  of 
mountains  extended  from  the  convent  to  the  front  of  Ulm. 
We  did  not  leave  the  enemy  at  peace  for  a  moment.  Murat 
covered  himself  with  glory  by  his  splendid  charges,  and  Ney 
did  not  stop  till  he  was  in  front  of  Ulm.  The  Emperor  sur- 
rounded the  town  on  all  sides,  and  gave  us  at  last  time  to 
dry  ourselves.  As  ill-luck  would  have  it,  a  beautiful  house 
belonging  to  one  of  the  citizens  took  fire.  It  was  impossible 
to  save  it.  "You  shall  pay  for  it,"  said  the  Emperor  angrily. 
"  I  will  give  six  hundred  francs  and  you  shall  give  a  day's 
pay.  Let  that  sum  be  immediately  paid  over  to  the  owner  of 
the  house."  Our  officers  made  wry  faces  at  this,  but  were 
obliged  to  submit,  and  the  guard  owns  a  house  in  that  town. 
The  proprietor  did  a  good  day's  work,  for  he  received  a  con- 
siderable sum. 

The  Emperor  summoned  General  Mack  to  surrender,  which 
he  did  on  the  19th  of  October.  Orders  were  given  to  march 
next  morning  at  five  o'clock ;  the  whole  guard  went  to  the 
foot  of  the  Michelberg,  in  front  of  Ulm.  The  Emperor  sta- 
tioned himself  on  the  top  of  this  height  and  had  a  good  fire 
made;  it  was  there  that  he  burned  his  gray  cloak.  He  was 
surrounded  by  the  whole  of  his  guard,  and  fifty  pieces  of 
cannon  were  turned  upon  the  town.  I  was  standing  guard  on 
the  top  of  the  eminence  near  the  Emperor  who  was  talking 
to  Count  Hulin,  general  of  the  foot  grenadiers.  Suddenly  we 
saw  an  endless  column  file  out  of  the  town  of  Ulm,  and  inarch 
up  in  front  of  the  Emperor  in  a  plain  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain.  All  the  soldiers  had  hung  their  cartridge-boxes  on 
their  knapsacks  ready  to  take  them  off  when  they  readied  the 
place  appointed  to  disarm  ;  they  threw  their  arms  and  car- 
tridge-boxes in  a  pile  as  they  passed.  General  Mack  came  ;  t 
their  head  to  surrender  his  sword  to  the  Emperor.     This  the 


120       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

Emperor  refused  to  accept  (all  the  officers  and  generals 
retained  their  swords  and  knapsacks),  and  he  talked  a  long 
time  with  the  superior  officers. 

This  evacuation  lasted  four  or  five  hours  (there  were 
twenty-seven  thousand  of  them),  and  the  city  was  full  of  sick 
and  wounded.  We  made  our  entrance  into  Ulm  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  whole  populace ;  the  officers  were  sent  off  to 
their  own  country  on  parole  not  to  take  up  arms  against 
France,  and  the  Emperor  made  a  proclamation  to  us.  The 
next  day  after  the  surrender  of  Ulm,  Napoleon  set  out  for 
Augsburg  with  the  whole  of  his  guard ;  they  made  forced 
marches  so  as  to  reach  Vienna.  The  soldiers  were  required 
to  march  eighteen  or  twenty  leagues  a  day.  They  used  to 
say  :  "  Our  Emperor  makes  war  not  with  our  arms  but  with 
our  legs." 

When  the  Emperor  learned  that  Prince  Ferdinand  had 
escaped  from  Ulm  with  his  cavalry,  he  sent  Prince  Murat 
with  Oudinot's  grenadiers  in  pursuit  of  them.  We  came  up 
with  them  ten  leagues  down  the  road ;  they  had  only  wagons, 
cannons,  caissons,  and  cavalry ;  they  had  carried  off  half  of 
their  arms  with  four  thousand  horses ;  the  roads  were  filled 
with  prisoners. 

We  started  at  midnight  to  join  the  advance-guard,  and  were 
obliged  to  pass  by  the  troops  who  were  already  inarching  along 
the  sides  of  the  road.  We  had  to  take  the  middle,  in  the  mud, 
and  so  pass  columns  two  leagues  long.  Our  grenadiers  took 
strides  a  fathom  long,  and  passed  two  soldiers  at  each  step ; 
as  for  me,  with  my  short  legs,  I  trotted  along,  to  keep  up 
with  my  comrades.  The  Emperor  slept  in  his  carriage,  and 
when  he  stopped  we  had  to  mount  guard,  and  the  army  corps 
passed  on. 

When  the  troops  had  gone  on  fifteen  leagues,  the'  Emperor 
would  start  again ;  we  had  to  put  our  knapsacks  on  our  backs, 
and  swallow  as  we  went  along,  all  in  the  darkness.  We  could 
see  neither  town  nor  village.  Fortunately  the  Russians  ex- 
pected us.  Oudinot's  grenadiers,  with  Marshal  Lannes  and 
Murat,  made  their  acquaintance ;  this  gave  us  time  to  reach 
Lintz,  a  town  a  little  to  the  left  of  the  road  to  Vienna.     This 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  121 

city  has,  at  its  back,  some  high  mountains,  at  the  foot  of  which 
flows  the  Danube,  among  the  rocks ;  it  is  so  shut  in  that  it 
has  cut  its  way  through  the  rocks.  The  torrent  makes  one 
tremble.  We  stayed  there  two  days ;  certain  princes  sent 
from  Vienna  arrived,  and  then  an  aide-de-camp  of  Marshal 
Lannes,  announcing  that  the  Russians  were  defeated.  The 
next  day,  the  Emperor  started  off  at  a  gallop ;  he  was  sullen. 
"  All  does  not  go  well,"  said  our  chiefs ;  "  he  is  angry." 

He  gave  orders  to  start  at  once  for  St.  Folten.  Just 
before  reaching  there,  to  the  left,  there  are  mountains  which 
are  covered  with  trees  to  a  considerable  height ;  here  an  army 
corps  was  camped.  Thence  we  marched  to  Schoenbrunn,  the 
residence  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  This  palace  is  magnifi- 
cent, having  forests  surrounded  by  walls  and  filled  with  game. 
We  remained  here  a  few  days  to  rest;  carriages  came  out 
from  Vienna.  Overtures  were  made  to  Napoleon,  to  induce 
him  to  spare  the  town.  The  army  corps  came  in  from  all 
directions ;  that  of  Marshal  Mortier  had  suffered  a  great  deal, 
and  was  held  in  reserve  for  refreshment.  The  Emperor  lost 
no  time ;  he  gave  orders  that  the  guard  should  appear  in  dress 
uniform,  and  rode  at  its  head  through  that  great  city,  amid  the 
acclamations  of  a  populace  full  of  joy  at  the  sight  of  such  a 
splendid  corps.  We  passed  through  without  stopping,  and 
came  to  the  bridges,  a  little  distance  from  the  faubourgs,  in  a 
woody  place,  where  we  were  somewhat  concealed.  The  great 
wooden  bridge  was  superb ;  we  said  to  each  other,  "  How  is 
it  that  these  Austrians  have  allowed  us  to  pass  over  on  this 
bridge  and  have  not  blown  it  up  ?  "  Our  officers  told  us  that 
this  was  managed  by  a  stratagem  of  Prince  Murat,  Marshal 
Lannes,  and  the  officers  of  the  engineers. 

We  slept  in  villages  completely  devastated  by  a  terrible 
season  of  snow.  The  Emperor  went  in  front ;  he  visited  the 
outposts,  and  overlooked  the  army  corps,  and  then  went  on  to 
Brunn,  in  Moravia,  where  he  established  his  headquarters. 
We  could  not  catch  up  with  him;  this  was  one  of  our  most 
terrible  marches,  we  had  to  go  forty  leagues  to  rejoin  hint 
We  arrived  there  on  the  third  day,  utterly  broken  down  with 
fatigue.     This  city  was  beautiful,  and  here  we  had  time  to 


122       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

rest.  We  were  near  Austerlitz.  The  Emperor  went  out  every 
day  to  make  reconnoissances  along  the  line,  and  returned  satis- 
fied. He  seemed  joyous;  his  pinches  of  snuff  took  effect  (this 
was  always  a  proof  of  his  contentment),  and  with  his  hands 
behind  his  back  he  went  about  talking  to  every  one. 

We  received  orders  to  go  forward,  near  the  Pratzen  mount- 
ains. In  front  of  us  there  was  a  river  to  cross,  but  it  was  so 
frozen  that  it  presented  no  obstacle.  We  camped  to  the  left 
of  the  road,  over  the  Pratzen  mountains,  with  Oudinot's  grena- 
diers on  the  right  and  the  cavalry  behind  us. 

On  the  first  of  December,  at  two  o'clock,  Napoleon  came 
with  his  marshals  to  visit  our  line.  We  were  eating  some 
quince  marmalade,  of  which  we  had  found  salt-boxes  full  in 
the  village,  and  had  made  tarts.  The  Emperor  laughed. 
"  Ah  ! "  said  he,  "  I  see  you  are  eating  preserves,  don't  get  up. 
You  must  put  new  flints  in  your  guns;  to-morrow  morning  you 
will  need  them.     Be  ready." 

The  horse  grenadiers  were  carrying  off  a  dozen  big  pigs  ; 
they  passed  along  in  front  of  us.  We  charged  them  with  our 
sabres  and  took  all  their  pigs.  The  Emperor  laughed.  He 
divided  them ;  six  for  us  and  six  for  the  horse-grenadiers. 
The  generals  took  a  pint  of  good  blood,  and  we  had  some 
good  broiled  ham. 

That  evening  the  Emperor  came  out  of  his  tent,  and  mount- 
ing his  horse,  started  off  with  his  escort  to  visit  the  outposts. 
It  was  twilight,  and  the  horse-grenadiers  carried  four  lighted 
torches.  This  was  the  signal  for  a  charming  sight ;  the  whole 
guard  took  up  handfuls  of  straw  from  their  barracks  and  set 
it  on  fire.  Holding  a  bunch  of  it  in  each  hand,  the  men  lighted 
it  one  from  other,  and  all  cried  out,  "  Vive  VEmpereur !  "  as 
they  leaped  into  the  air.  The  whole  army  corps  took  it  up, 
and  I  am  sure  that  two  hundred  thousand  torches  were  lighted. 
The  music  played  and  the  drums  beat  to  arms.  The  Russians, 
from  their  heights,  more  than  a  hundred  feet  above  us,  could 
see  seven  army  corps,  and  seven  lines  of  fire  in  front  of  them. 

The  next  morning  early,  all  the  musicians  were  ordered  to 
be  at  their  posts,  on  pain  of  severe  punishment.  It  was  then 
the  2d  of  December.     The  Emperor  started  out  very  early  in 


"There  were  twenty-live  thousand  of  us  jolly  !V11< 
eaps."  —  Page  128. 


bear  ikin 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  123 

the  morning  to  visit  the  outposts  and  see  the  position  of  the 
Kussian  army :  he  returned  and  took  a  position  on  a  plateau, 
above  where  he  had  passed  the  night.  He  placed  us,  with 
Oudinot's  grenadiers,  in  line  of  battle  behind  him.  All  his 
marshals  were  with  him ;  he  sent  them  to  their  several  posts. 
The  army  ascended  this  eminence,  in  order  to  descend  to  the 
country  below,  cross  a  river  and  come  to  the  Pratzen  mount- 
ain, where  the  Russians  were  waiting  for  us  as  quietly  as 
possible.  When  the  columns  had  passed  by,  the  Emperor 
ordered  us  to  follow  them  up.  There  were  twenty-five  thou- 
sand of  us  jolly  fellows  with  our  bear-skin  caps. 

Our  battalions  mounted  the  hill  carrying  arms,  and  when 
within  reach,  saluted  the  first  line  with  fire  by  battalions,  and 
then  crossed  bayonets  with  the  first  line  of  the  Russians,  beat- 
ing a  charge.  Contrary  to  custom,  the  Emperor  had  ordered 
that  the  musicians  should  remain  at  their  post  in  the  centre 
of  each  battalion.  Our  corps  of  musicians  was  full,  with 
its  chief,  an  old  trooper  of  at  least  sixty  years,  at  its  head. 
They  played  a  song  we  all  knew  well. 

On  va  leur  percer  le  flanc, 
Ran,  ran,  ran,  rantanplan,  tirelire, 
Rantanplan  tirelire  en  plan, 
On  va  leur  percer  le  flanc, 

Que  nous  allons  rire  ! 

Ran,  tan,  plan,  tirelire, 

Que  nous  allons  rire! 

While  this  air  was  played,  the  drums,  under  the  direction 
of  M.  Senot,  their  major,  an  accomplished  man,  beat  a  charge 
loud  enough  to  break  their  drumheads  in.  The  drums  and 
music  mingled  together.  It  was  enough  to  make  a  paralytic 
move  forward ! 

When  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  plateau  we  were  only 
separated  from  the  enemy  by  the  remnant  of  the  corps,  who 
had  been  fighting  in  front  of  us  since  morning.  Our  right 
wing  suffered  very  much.  We  saw  that  they  could  not  ascend 
that  steep  mountain.  The  whole  of  the  guard  of  the  Russian 
Emperor  was  massed  on  this  height.  But  we  were  strongly 
supported  on  the  right.     Their  cavalry  charged  upon  a  bat- 


124       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

talion  of  the  4th,  and  strewed  the  field  with  their  dead  bodies. 
The  Emperor  perceived  this,  and  ordered  General  Rapp  to 
charge.  Eapp  dashed  forward  with  his  horsemen  and  the 
Mamelukes,  delivered  the  battalion,  but  was  driven  back  by  the 
Russian  guard.  The  Emperor  ordered  us  to  halt,  and  sent 
forward  first  the  Mamelukes  and  light-horsemen.  These  Mame- 
lukes were  marvellous  riders ;  they  could  do  anything  they  chose 
on  horseback.  With  their  curved  sabres,  they  would  take  a 
man's  head  off  with  one  blow,  and  with  their  sharp  stirrups 
they  could  cut  the  loins  of  a  soldier.  One  of  them  came  three 
different  times  up  to  the  Emperor  bringing  a  Russian  standard. 
The  third  time,  the  Emperor  wished  to  stop  him,  but  he  dashed 
in  again,  and  returned  no  more.  He  rested  on  the  field  of 
battle. 

The  light-horsemen  were  no  less  effective  than  the  Mame- 
lukes, but  they  had  to  contend  with  a  force  too  strong  for 
them.  The  Russian  imperial  guard  was  composed  of  gigantic 
men  who  fought  with  desperation.  Our  cavalry  was  at  last 
driven  back.  Then  the  Emperor  let  loose  his  "  black  horses," 
that  is,  his  horse  grenadiers,  commanded  by  General  Bessieres. 
They  passed  by  us  like  a  streak  of  lightning,  and  fell  upon 
the  enemy.  For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  there  was  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  that  quarter  of  an  hour  seemed  to  us  an  age. 
We  could  see  nothing  through  the  smoke  and  dust.  We 
feared  we  should  see  our  comrades  sabred  in  their  turn.  We 
were  advancing  slowly  behind  them,  and  if  they  had  been 
defeated  it  would  have  been  our  turn. 

There  was  a  confusion  for  several  minutes  ;  everything  went 
pell-mell,  and  no  one  knew  which  had  the  upper  hand  j  but 
our  grenadiers  came  off  conquerors,  and  returned  to  their 
position  behind  the  Emperor.  General  Rapp  came  back 
covered  with  blood,  bringing  a  prince  with  him. 

We  had  been  sent  forward  at  a  quick  step  to  assist  in  this 
struggle ;  the  Russian  infantry  was  behind  this  mass,  and  we 
thought  that  our  turn  had  come,  but  they  beat  a  retreat  into 
the  valley  of  the  ponds.  Not  being  able  to  pass  on  the  cause- 
way, which  was  blocked  up,  they  were  obliged  to  cross  over 
the  pond  to  the  left,  in  front  of  us ;  and  the  Emperor,  perceiv- 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  125 

ing  their  embarrassment,  sent  down  his  artillery  and  the  2d 
regiment  of  grenadiers.  Our  gunners  manned  the  batteries, 
and  balls  and  shells  rained  on  the  ice,  which  yielded  beneath 
this  mass  of  Russians.  All  the  troops  clapped  their  hands, 
and  our  Napoleon  wreaked  vengeance  on  his  snuff-box ;  it  was 
a  total  rout. 

In  the  midst  of  these  solemn  circumstances  we  found  a 
chance  to  laugh  like  children.  A  hare,  frightened  almost  to 
death,  was  trying  to  escape,  and  came  right  up  to  us.  My 
captain,  Renard  (Fox),  seeing  it,  rushed  forward  to  sabre  it, 
but  the  hare  made  a  turn.  My  captain  pursued  it,  and  the 
poor  animal  had  barely  time  to  run,  as  a  rabbit  should,  into 
his  hole.  We  who  were  watching  this  chase,  cried  out  as 
loudly  as  we  could,  "  The  fox  will  not  catch  the  hare,  the  fox  will 
not  catch  the  hare."  And  sure  enough  he  could  not  catch  it ; 
so  we  all  laughed  at  him,  and  we  laughed  so  much  the  louder, 
because  the  captain  was  the  best  man  in  the  world,  esteemed 
and  loved  by  all  his  soldiers.  The  day  ended  in  following  up 
and  capturing  cannons,  wagons,  and  prisoners.  That  night  we 
slept  on  the  fine  position  which  the  Russian  guard  had  occupied 
in  the  morning,  and  the  Emperor  occupied  himself  in  seeing 
that  the  wounded  were  taken  up.  There  were  two  leagues  of 
battlefield  to  be  gone  over  in  search  of  them,  and  each  corps 
furnished  men  for  this  sad  service. 

That  evening  we  went  into  the  village  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  mountain,  facing  the  ponds,  to  get  wood  and  straw.  We 
were  obliged  to  descend  rapidly  and  could  not  see  where  we 
were  going.  But  our  marauders  found  some  beehives,  and  in 
order  to  take  some  honey,  they  set  fire  to  an  immense  shed. 
The  flames  gave  sufficient  light  to  enable  us  to  carry  off  all 
that  we  needed  most  to  spend  a  bitterly  cold  night,  and  to 
show  us  the  way  back  up  the  winding  pathway.  Finding  no 
provisions,  I  seized  upon  a  big  pine  cask.  I  took  a  feather 
bed,  punched  it  into  the  cask  and  got  one  of  my  comrades  to 
put  it  on  my  back.  Then  I  mounted  the  hill ;  the  miserable 
cask  rolled  about  on  my  back,  but  I  had  the  courage  to  reach 
my  bivouac.  I  put  down  my  burden,  and  my  captain,  Renard, 
came  up  at  once  to  beg  me  to  give  him  a  place  in  my  cask.     I 


126       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

immediately  went  back  to  the  village  and  brought  a  load  of 
straw,  which  I  put  into  my  cask  and  put  my  feather  bed  in  on 
top  of  it.  We  got  in  head  foremost,  and  stuck  our  feet  out 
before  the  fire.  No  one  ever  passed  a  more  comfortable  night. 
My  captain  said,  "  I  shall  remember  you  all  my  life." 

The  next  day  we  set  out  for  Austerlitz,  a  poor  little  thatched 
village,  with  an  old  castle ;  but  we  found  six  hundred  sheep  in 
the  stalls  of  the  manor,  and  rations  of  them  were  distributed 
to  the  guard.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  came  to  see  Napoleon. 
After  the  two  emperors  had  come  to  an  understanding,  we 


started  for  Vienna,  marching  by  moderate  stages,  and  went  to 
Schoenbrunn,  where  we  were  lodged  in  that  beautiful  palace 
until  the  settlement  of  affairs.  The  guard  received  orders  to 
return  to  France  by  short  stages  and  by  way  of  the  halting 
places.  How  glad  we  were  !  And  to  think  we  should  be  well 
fed !  But  the  army  did  not  return  ;  it  was  necessary  that  the 
peace  should  be  signed  and  that  our  troops  should  have  time 
to  be  re-enforced.  The  halting  places  were  twenty  leagues 
apart ;  it  was  so  comfortable  to  find  our  food  ready  for  us 
when  we  arrived.  We  were  kindly  received  in  Bavaria,  and 
we  recrossed  the  Bhine  transported  with  joy  at  seeing  our 
country  once  more. 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK.  127 

We  were  triumphantly  received  by  the  good  people  of 
Strassburg.  I  weut  straight  to  my  lodgings,  where  I  had  left 
all  my  belongings  as  I  passed  through.  I  found  everything 
as  I  had  left  it.  Those  good  people  felt  me  and  said,  "So 
you  are  not  wounded  ?  "  Their  young  daughter  said,  "  We 
have  prayed  for  you ;  all  your  linen  is  clean  and  white,  and 
your  silver  buckles  are  shining  bright.  I  made  the  goldsmith 
polish  them."  —  "  Thanks,  my  dear  young  lady.  I  bring  you  a 
baautiful  shawl  from  Vienna,  which  I  beg  you  to  accept." 
She  blushed  at  this  in  presence  of  her  mother,  and  the  father 
and  mother  were  both  delighted.  I  said  to  them,  "  If  I  had 
died,  my  things  would  have  gone  to  your  daughter."  The 
father  took  me  by  the  hand.  "  Come,  let  us  go  to  the  cafe," 
said  he ;  "  the  guard  is  here  for  the  day ;  you  will  have  time 
to  rest." 

I  had  gotten  this  beautiful  shawl  from  an  imperial  castle, 
where  I  had  been  stationed  as  safe-guard.  The  lady  of  the 
castle  1  asked  me  if  I  was  a  married  man.  I  answered,  "  Yes, 
madame."  —  "Then  I  will  make  you  a  present  for  your  wife, 
in  return  for  your  treatment  of  my  husband." 

We  now  went  on  to  the  beautiful  city  of  Nancy,  and  from 
Nancy  to  Epernay.  The  first  battalion  was  detached  at  the 
town  of  Ay,  about  a  league  from  Epernay ;  it  is  here  that  they 
make  the  sparkling  wine.  This  city  has  grown  very  rich  upon 
its  trade  in  these  wines  ;  for  fifteen  years  no  troops  had 
been  quartered  there.  We  could  not  possibly  have  been  more 
kindly  received  than  we  were  ;  they  would  not  allow  the 
guard  to  pay  for  anything,  they  defrayed  every  expense. 
"  You  shall  not  drink  the  champagne  now,"  said  they,  "  but 
this  evening  we  will  try  it.  Rest  assured,  you  shall  have 
plenty  of  it."  That  evening,  after  dinner,  the  champagne  was 
brought  out,  and  the  hosts  were  obliged  to  take  their  soldiers 
up  in  their  arms  and  carry  them  to  bed ;  they  had  no  use  of 
their  legs. 

The  next  day  all  the  heads  of  households  escorted  us  out, 
taking  with  them  servants  carrying  baskets  of  wine,  and  our 

1  Probably  tin-  wife  of  some  official.  Coignet's  reply  shows  that  he  scented  the 
possibility  of  a  present. 


128       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

officers  were  obliged  to  beg  these  kind  men  to  go  away. 
Our  drunkards  fell  about  in  the  ditches ;  the  soldiers  were 
demoralized.  We  had  to  rest  three  hours  in  the  plain,  two 
leagues  from  Epernay,  so  as  to  give  time  for  the  men  to  get 
together.  Our  hosts  of  Ay  were  obliged  to  pick  up  the  strag- 
glers and  take  them  back.  We  were  not  all  reunited  till  the 
next  day  ;  but  no  one  was  punished. 

We  reached  Meaux,  in  Brie,  where  we  were  kindly  received. 
I  was  alone ;  I  went  to  present  my  billet  in  Rue  Basse, 
which  leads  to  Paris.  I  got  some  one  to  read  my  billet  for 
me,  as  I  could  not  read  myself.  A  big  man  said  to  me,  "  This 
lady  is  rich,  but  she  will  send  you  to  an  inn.  Here,  go  to  this 
locksmith's  shop."  I  went  to  the  locksmith  and  showed  him 
my  billet.  "  My  good  man,"  said  he,  "  my  landlady  is  going 
to  send  you  to  an  inn."  — u  Very  well,  I  hope  to  stay  with  this 
lady.  Come  to  see  me  in  an  hour."  —  "  But  you  will  not  be 
there."  — "  You  will  see  that  I  shall,  without  any  fuss."  I 
went  up  to  the  first  floor.  "  Good-morning,  madame,  here  is 
your  billet."  —  " But,  sir,  I  do  not  take  lodgers."  —  "I  know 
it,  madame  ;  but  I  am  very  tired,  I  must  rest  a  little  while.  If 
madame  will  have  the  goodness  to  go  and  get  me  a  bottle  of 
wine,  there  are  fifteen  sous.     After  that  I  will  go  away." 

She  took  my  fifteen  sous  and  went  for  the  bottle  of  wine. 
As  soon  as  she  went  out,  I  took  off  my  clothes  and  bound  my 
handkerchief  around  my  head ;  I  rolled  myself  up  in  her  bed 
and  began  to  tremble  as  hard  as  I  could.  Presently  madame 
came  back;  she  saw  me  in  her  bed  and  began  to  scream. 
Then  she  went  for  her  tenants  and  consulted  with  them  ;  they 
told  her  she  must  make  me  some  warm  wine  with  plenty  of 
sugar  in  it,  put  on  the  pot  to  make  me  a  good  broth,  and  cover 
me  up  well,  for  I  had  a  terrible  chill.  These  wicked  creatures 
enjoyed  themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  miserly  woman. 
That  night  they  came  up  to  see  me,  and  the  lady  spent  the 
night  on  her  lounge.  The  next  day  madame  returned  my 
fifteen  sous,  and  I  was  escorted  to  other  quarters.  The 
neighbors  were  delighted  with  the  joke  I  had  played. 

We  went  to  Claye,  and  from  Claye  to  the  Porte  St.  Denis, 
where   the   people  of  Paris  were  waiting  for  us  ;   they  had 


FOURTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


129 


made  us  a  triumphal  arch.  We  found,  in  the  Champs-Elysees, 
tents  prepared,  with  tables  served  with  cold  meats  and  sealed 
wines.  But  as  ill-luck  would  have  it,  the  rain  fell  in  such 
torrents  that  the  plates  were  filled  with  water.  We  could  not 
eat,  but  we  drew  the  corks  from  the  bottles  and  drank  stand- 
ing.    It  was  a  pitiful  sight  to  see  us ;  we  were  as  wet  as  ducks. 

Three  battalions  of  us  set  out  for  Courbevoie;  one  remained 
on  duty.  The  Emperor  gave  us  some  rest,  and  we  received 
new  uniforms.  We  had  splendid  reviews ;  the  good  city  of 
Paris  gave  us  a  magnificent  dinner  under  the  galleries  of  the 
Place  Koyale ;  nothing  was  wanting ;  and  that  night  we  went 
free  to  a  comedy  at  the  Porte  St.  Martin.  There  was  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  Passage  of  Mount  St.  Bernard,  and  we  could 
see  the  good  monks  descending  the  mountain  with  their  big 
dogs  following  them.  As  I  looked  at  those  good  Capuchins 
and  their  dogs,  I  could  almost  believe  that  I  was  dragging  my 
cannon  along.  I  clapped  my  hands  and  stamped  my  feet. 
My  comrades  said  to  me,  "  Are  you  crazy  ?  "  I  answered, 
u  You  see,  I  saw  them  on  Mount  St.  Bernard,  those  splendid 
dogs ;  and  those  are  the  very  same  monks." 

The  roll  was  not  called  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning; 
no  one  was  punished,  and  all  our  little  shortcomings  were 
pardoned. 


•  i  i  r  *t  < 


FIFTH   NOTE-BOOK. 


PRUSSIAN    AND    POLISH    CAMPAIGNS. CONFERENCE    AT    TILSIT. 

1    AM    MADE    CORPORAL.  SPANISH    AND    AUSTRIAN    CAM- 
PAIGNS.   I    AM    APPOINTED    SERGEANT. 

The  allied  princes  came  to  pay  their  court  to  Napoleon,  and 
he  entertained  them  with  splendid  reviews.  We  mounted 
guard  at  the  princes'  hotels,  who  all  gave  us  something,  more 
or  less.  Among  the  great  officials  M.  Cambaceres  was  the 
least  generous ;  he  never  gave  more  than  a  half-bottle  to  the 
sentinel  who  was  stationed  at  his  door.  Consequently  we 
made  a  wry  face  when  it  was  our  turn  to  go  to  his  house. 

We  were  overwhelmed  with  duty ;  eight  hours  of  guard  and 
two  hours  of  patrol  duty,  that  made  ten  hours  each  night,  and 
picket  duty  at  the  barracks  for  twenty-four  hours,  without 
taking  off  our  clothes.  We  were  obliged  to  be  out  at  the  first 
sound  of  the  roll-call  to  answer,  "  Here."  Each  day  the  guard 
going  on  duty  had  twenty-four  hours'  picket  duty.  Then  there 
were  grand  drills  which  kept  us  all  day  long  in  the  plain  of 
the  Sablons  and  at  the  Tuileries. 

The  Emperor  ordered  up  a  great  deal  of  artillery,  wagons 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  131 

and  caissons ;  he  had  them  opened,  so  as  to  assure  himself 
that  nothing  was  wanting.  He  got  up  on  the  wheels  to  see 
that  nothing  had  been  forgotten,  especially  the  medicine-chest, 
the  shovels,  and  pickaxes.  He  had  a  strict  inspection.  M. 
Larrey  was  responsible  for  the  medicine-chest,  and  the  engi- 
neering officers  for  the  shovels  and  pickaxes.  He  dealt 
severely  with  them  if  all  was  not  as  it  should  be.  He  was  at 
the  same  time  the  kindest  and  the  severest  man ;  we  all  feared 
him  and  we  all  loved  him. 

An  order  was  given  to  examine  the  condition  of  our  linen 
and  shoes,  and  to  inspect  our  arms  for  another  campaign. 
The  Emperor  reviewed  us,  and  we  were  ordered  to  hold  our- 
selves in  readiness  to  march.  Our  officers  told  us  that  we 
were  to  start  for  a  conference,  at  which  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  and  the  King  of  Prussia  were  to  be  present.  But 
when  we  reached  the  frontiers  of  Prussia,  an  order  was  read 
to  us  informing  us  that  war  had  been  declared  against  Prussia 
and  Russia. 

Very  early  in  the  year  1806  we  set  out  for  Wiirzburg,  where 
the  Emperor  was  awaiting  us.  This  is  a  beautiful  city,  and 
there  is  a  magnificent  castle ;  the  princes  gave  Napoleon  a 
grand  reception.  From  there  the  army  corps  were  sent  on  to 
Jena,  by  forced  marches ;  we  reached  that  city  the  13th  of 
October,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  We  passed  through 
the  town  without  being  able  to  see  anything  of  it;  there  was 
not  a  light  anywhere;  the  inhabitants  had  all  deserted  it. 
Absolute  silence  reigned.  On  the  other  side  of  the  city  we 
found  ourselves  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain  as  steep  as  the  roof 
of  a  house ;  this  we  had  to  climb,  and  immediately  form  bat- 
talions on  the  table-land.  We  were  obliged  to  grope  our  way 
along  the  edge  of  the  precipice ;  not  one  of  us  could  see  the 
other.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  perfect  silence,  for  the  enemy 
was  near  us.  We  immediately  formed  a  square,  with  the 
Emperor  in  the  middle  of  the  guard.  Our  artillery  came  to 
the  foot  of  this  terrible  mountain,  and  not  being  able  to  pass 
over  it,  the  road  had  to  be  enlarged  and  the  rocks  cut  away. 
The  Emperor  was  there,  directing  the  engineers;  he  did  not 
leave  till  the  road  was  finished,  and  the  first  piece  of  cannon, 


132       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

drawn  by  twelve  horses,  had  passed  on  in  front  of  him,  in 
absolute  silence. 

Four  pieces  at  a  time  were  carried  up  and  immediately  placed 
in  battery  in  front  of  onr  line.  Then  the  same  horses  went 
back  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  to  be  hitched  to  others.  A 
good  part  of  the  night  was  employed  in  this  terrible  task,  and, 
the  enemy  did  not  perceive  us.  The  Emperor  placed  himself 
in  the  middle  of  his  square,  and  allowed  them  to  kindle  two 
or  three  fires  for  each  company.  There  were  a  hundred  and 
twenty  of  us  in  each  company.  Twenty  from  each  company 
were  sent  off  in  search  of  provisions.  We  did  not  have  far  to 
go,  for  from  the  eminence  we  could  throw  a  stone  into  the 
village.  All  the  houses  were  deserted,  the  wretched  inhabit- 
ants had  abandoned  their  homes.  We  found  everything  we 
needed,  especially  wine  and  sugar.  We  had  our  officers  along 
to  keep  order,  and  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour  we  were  on 
our  way  back  up  the  mountain,  loaded  with  wine,  sugar,  cop- 
per boilers,  and  all  sorts  of  provisions.  We  carried  torches  to 
give  us  light  in  the  cellars,  and  we  found  a  great  deal  of  sealed 
wine  in  the  large  hotels. 

Wood  was  brought  and  fires  lighted,  and  wine  and  sugar 
put  into  the  boilers.  We  drank  to  the  health  of  the  King  of 
Prussia  all  night  long,  and  all  the  sealed  wine  was  divided 
among  us.  There  was  the  greatest  quantity  of  it ;  each  grena- 
dier had  three  bottles,  two  in  his  bear-skin  cap,  and  one  in  his 
pocket.  All  night  long  we  had  warm  wine ;  we  carried  some  to 
our  brave  gunners,  who  were  half  dead  with  fatigue,  and  they 
were  very  thankful  for  it.  Their  officers  were  invited  to  come 
and  drink  the  warm  wine  with  ours  ;  our  mustaches  were 
thoroughly  wetted,  but  we  were  forbidden  to  make  any  noise. 
Imagine  what  a  punishment  it  was  not  to  be  able  to  speak  or 
sing !     Every  one  of  us  had  something  witty  ready  to  say. 

Seeing  us  all  so  happy,  put  the  Emperor  in  good  spirits. 
He  mounted  his  horse  before  day  and  went  on  his  rounds. 
The  darkness  was  so  profound  that  he  was  obliged  to  have  a 
light  in  order  to  see  his  way,  and  the  Prussians,  seeing  this 
light  moving  along  their  lines,  fired  on  Napoleon.  But  he 
went  on  his  way,  and  returned  to  his  headquarters  to  order 
the  men  to  arms. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  133 

Day  had  scarcely  broken  when  the  Prussians  greeted  us 
(October  the  14th)  with  cannon  shots,  which  passed  over  our 
heads.  An  old  Egyptian  soldier  said,  k-  The  Prussians  have 
bad  colds,  hear  them  cough.  We  must  take  them  some  sweet- 
ened wine."  The  whole  army  now  moved  forward  without 
being  able  to  see  one  step  ahead  of  them.  We  were  obliged 
to  feel  our  way  like  blind  men,  constantly  falling  up  against 
each  other.  At  the  sound  of  the  movement  which  was  going 
on  in  front  of  us,  it  was  considered  necessary  to  call  a  halt 
and  commence  the  attack.  Our  brave  Launes  opened  on  our 
left;  this  was  the  signal  for  the  whole  line,  and  we  could 
only  see  each  other  by  the  light  of  our  firing.  The  Emperor 
ordered  us  to  advance  rapidly  on  their  centre.  He  was 
obliged  to  order  us  first  to  moderate  our  pace  and  finally  to 
halt.  Their  line  had  been  pierced,  as  was  that  of  the  Russians 
at  Austerlitz.  The  accursed  fog  was  a  great  drawback  to  us, 
but  our  columns  continued  to  advance,  and  we  had  room  to 
look  around.  About  ten  o'clock  the  sun  came  out  and  lighted 
up  the  beautiful  plateau.  Then  we  could  see  in  front  of  us. 
On  our  right  we  saw  a  handsome  carriage  drawn  by  white 
horses ;  we  were  told  that  in  it  was  the  Queen  of  Prussia, 
who  was  trying  to  escape.  Napoleon  ordered  us  to  halt  for 
an  hour,  and  we  heard  a  terrible  firing  on  our  left.  The 
Emperor  immediately  sent  an  officer  to  learn  what  was  going 
on  ;  he  seemed  angry,  and  took  snuff  frequently  as  he  stamped 
up  and  down  in  front  of  us.  The  officer  returned  and  said, 
•'  Sire,  it  is  Marshal  Ney  who  is  fighting  desperately,  with  his 
grenadiers  and  his  light-horsemen,  against  a  body  of  cavalry." 
He  immediately  sent  forward  his  cavalry,  and  the  whole  arm  v 
advanced.  Lannes  and  Ney  were  victorious  on  the  left;  the 
Emperor  joined  them  and  recovered  his  good  humor. 

Prince  Murat  came  up  with  his  dragoons  and  his  cuiras- 
siers ;  his  horses'  tongues  were  hanging  out  of  their  mouths. 
They  brought  with  them  a  whole  division  of  Saxons,  and  it 
was  pitiful  to  see  them,  for  more  than  half  of  these  unfortu- 
nate fellows  were  streaming  with  blood.  The  Emperor  re- 
viewed them,  and  we  gave  them  all  our  wine,  particularly  to 
the  wounded,  and  also  to  our  brave  cuirassiers  and  dragoons. 


134       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

We  had  at  least  a  thousand  bottles  of  sealed  wine  still  left, 
and  we  saved  their  lives.  The  Emperor  gave  them  their 
choice,  either  to  remain  with  us  or  to  be  prisoners,  telling 
them  that  he  was  not  at  war  with  their  sovereign. 

After  winning  this  battle,  the  Emperor  left  us  at  Jena ;  he 
went  on  to  see  the  corps  of  Davout  and  Bernadotte.  On  our 
right  we  could  hear  distant  cannonading,  and  the  Emperor 
sent  an  order  for  us  to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  to  inarch. 
We  spent  the  night  in  that  poor  deserted  town.  The  Emperor 
returned ;  we  gathered  up  our  wounded  and  carried  them  on 
to  Weimar,  which  is  a  lovely  town. 

We  had  a  hard  light  with  a  large  body  of  cavalry,  at  the 
assault  of  Hassenhausen ;  but  Prince  Murat  gained  the  vic- 
tory over  them.  We  marched  upon  Erfurt,  without  being 
able  to  catch  up  with  the  army  corps  of  Davout  and  Berna- 
dotte, who  carried  off  all  the  baggage  wagons  and  cannons  of 
the  Prussians.     We  lost  heavily. 

On  the  25th  we  reached  Potsdam ;  we  spent  the  26th  and 
27th  at  Charlottenburg,  the  splendid  palace  of  the  King  of 
Prussia,  which  is  opposite  Berlin.  The  country  here  is  cov- 
ered with  woods  up  to  the  very  entrance-gate  to  this  beautiful 
city ;  nothing  can  be  more  beautiful  than  it  is.  The  gateway 
is  surmounted  by  a  triumphal  arch,  and  the  streets  are  straight 
as  a  line.  From  the  Charlottenburg  gate  to  the  palace,  there 
is  a  broad  walk,  with  benches  on  each  side  for  those  who  wish 
to  look  on.  The  Emperor  made  his  entrance  on  the  28th,  at 
the  head  of  twenty  thousand  grenadiers  and  cuirassiers,  and 
all  our  splendid  foot  and  horse-guards.  The  uniform  was  as 
magnificent  as  at  the  Tuileries  ;  the  Emperor  moved  proudly 
along  in  his  plain  dress,  with  his  small  hat  and  his  one-sou 
cockade.  His  staff  was  in  full  uniform,  and  it  was  a  curious 
sight  to  see  the  worst-dressed  man  the  master  of  such  a  splen- 
did army. 

The  people  were  gazing  out  of  the  windows  as  the  Parisians 
did  on  the  day  we  came  back  from  Austerhtz.  It  was  grand 
to  see  this  great  populace  crowding  the  streets  to  see  us,  and 
following  us  wherever  we  went. 

We  drew  up  in  line  of  battle  in  front  of  the  palace,  which 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  135 

is  isolated  by  beautiful  squares  in  front  and  at  the  back  of  it, 
and  a  handsome  square  filled  with  trees,  where  the  great 
Frederick  stands  on  a  pedestal  with  his  little  gaiters  on. 

We  were  lodged  in  private  houses  and  fed  at  the  expense  of 
the  inhabitants,  with  orders  to  give  us  a  bottle  of  wine  every 
day.  This  was  hard  upon  the  citizens,  for  the  wine  costs  three 
francs  a  bottle.  Not  being  able  to  procure  wine,  they  begged 
us  to  take  instead,  beer,  in  little  jugs.  At  roll-call,  all  the 
grenadiers  spoke  about  it  to  their  officers,  who  told  us  not  to 
force  them  to  give  us  wine,  as  the  beer  was  excellent.  This 
was  a  great  comfort  to  all  the  people  in  the  town,  and  the 
beer  in  jugs  was  unsparingly  bestowed.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  find  better  beer  Peace  and  good-will  were  universal ;  we 
could  not  have  been  more  comfortable ;  all  the  citizens  came 
with  their  servants  to  bring  us  our  well-served  meals.  The 
discipline  was  strict;  Count  Hulin  was  governor  of  Berlin, 
and  the  service  was  severe. 

The  Emperor  reviewed  his  guard  in  front  of  the  palace  ; 
he  stood  near  some  fine  linden-trees,  near  the  statue  of 
Frederick  the  Great.  Behind  the  statue  are  three  rows  of 
stones,  five  feet  high,  joined  together  by  bars  of  iron.  We 
were  in  line  of  battle  in  front  of  the  palace;  the  Emperor 
came  up,  ordered  us  to  carry  arms,  and  cross  bayonets  ;  our 
colonel  repeated  the  command.  He  ordered,  "Wheel  about." 
The  colonel  repeated  it.  Then,  "  Forward,  double  quick, 
march."  We  halted  in  front  of  the  five-foot  stones.  The 
Emperor  seeing  us  stop,  said,  "Why  do  you  not  march  on?" 
The  colonel  answered,  "  We  cannot  pass."  —  "  What  is  your 
name?"  —  "Frederic."  The  Emperor  said,  in  a  severe  tone, 
"Poor  Frederic!  Order  them  to  '  Forward.'"  And  there  we 
went,  leaping  over  the  stones  and  the  bars  of  iron.  It  was  a 
sight  to  see  us  go  over. 

The  corps  of  Marshal  Davout  was  the  first  to  enter  Berlin  ; 
and  then  marched  on  to  the  frontier  of  Poland.  We  learned, 
before  leaving,  that  Magdeburg  had  surrendered.  The  Emper- 
or settled  matters  with  the  authorities  at  Berlin,  and  we  set 
out  to  rejoin  the  corps,  which  was  marching  on  Poland.  When 
we  reached  Posen,  we  rested  there  some  time.     Our  corps 


136       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

marched  without  intermission  to  Warsaw.  The  Russians  were 
good  enough  to  give  those  two  beautiful  cities  up  to  us ;  but 
they  were  not  so  generous  about  provisions ;  they  ravaged  the 
whole  country,  and  carried  off  everything  to  the  other  side, 
leaving  only  what  they  could  not  take  away.  They  even  blew 
up  all  the  bridges,  and  carried  off  all  the  boats.  The  Emperor 
showed  some  ill-temper.  Once  before,  at  Posen,  I  saw  him, 
when  he  was  angry,  jump  on  his  horse  so  violently  that  he 
flew  over  to  the  other  side,  and  give  his  equerry  a  cut  with 
his  whip. 

We  were  ordered   into  position   before    reaching  Warsaw. 
We  saw  the  Russians  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  on  a 


height  overlooking  the  road.  Five  hundred  swimmers  were 
detailed,  and  made  to  swim  across  with  their  cartridge-boxes 
and  guns  on  their  heads  ;  they  fell  upon  the  Russians  at  mid- 
night, as  they  were  sleeping  beside  their  fires.  We  seized 
upon  their  position,  and  made  ourselves  master  of  the  right 
shore  of  the  river ;  but  we  were  still  without  boats.  Marshal 
Ney,  who  had  accomplished  wonderful  things  at  Thorn,  sent 
us  some  boats  to  make  bridges.  The  Emperor  was  in  the 
highest  spirits,  and  said,  "  That  man  is  a  lion." 

The  Emperor  entered  Warsaw  during  the  night.  Oudinot's 
grenadiers  and  ourselves  arrived  next  day.  The  kind  people 
of  this  city  came  out  to  look  at  our  splendid  column  of  grena- 
diers. They  made  an  effort  to  receive  us  kindly.  The  Rus- 
sians had  carried  off  everything.     We  had  to  buy  grain  and 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  137 

beeves  to  feed  the  army,  and  the  Jews  made  good  contracts 
with  Napoleon.  Provisions  came  in  to  us  from  all  sides,  and 
biscuits  were  made  for  us.  It  must  be  said  that  the  Jews 
saved  the  army  as  well  as  made  their  own  fortunes. 

When  the  Emperor  was  in  condition  to  recommence  the 
campaign,  and  his  troops  had  been  supplied  with  provisions, 
he  had  splendid  reviews.  The  last  of  them  took  place  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  intense  cold.  During  one  of  these  reviews, 
a  handsome  carriage  drove  up,  and  a  small  man  got  out,  and 
presented  himself  to  the  Emperor,  in  front  of  the  guard.  He 
was  a  hundred  and  seventeen  years  old,  and  walked  as  if  he 
were  sixty.  The  Emperor  offered  him  his  arm  :  "  Thank  you, 
sire,"  said  he.     He  was  said  to  be  the  oldest  man  in  Poland.1 

The  ice  being  considered  in  proper  condition,  a  distribution 
of  rations  of  biscuits  for  fourteen  days  was  made  to  us.  I 
bought  a  ham  for  twenty  francs,  and  did  not  eat  a  pound  of 
it ;  nothing  could  be  had  for  love  or  money.  It  was  Decem- 
ber, the  beginning  of  a  most  terrible  winter,  in  a  deserted 
country,  covered  with  woods,  and  with  roads  heavy  with  sand. 
We  found  no  inhabitants  in  the  wretched  villages ;  the  Rus- 
sians fell  back  before  us,  and  we  found  their  camps  deserted. 
We  had  to  inarch  all  night,  and  at  midnight  we  came  to  a 
castle.  Not  knowing  where  we  were,  we  put  down  our  knap- 
sacks under  some  walnut-trees,  in  a  camping-ground  deserted 
by  the  Russians.  As  I  put  my  knapsack  on  the  ground,  I  felt 
a  small  pile  of  something.  I  felt  about  in  the  straw.  My 
God,  what  joy !  there  were  two  loaves  of  bread  of  about  three 
pounds  each.  I  knelt  down,  and  opened  my  knapsack,  took 
one  of  my  loaves,  and  put  it  in.  The  other,  I  broke  into  pieces. 
It  was  so  dark  that  no  one  saw  me.  "  What  are  you  doing  ?  " 
said  Captain  Renard.  Taking  hold  of  his  hand,  I  put  into  it 
a  piece  of  bread,  saying,  "  Keep  silence,  watch  my  knapsack, 
and  eat;  I  am  going  for  some  wood." 

I  started  off  with  four  of  my  messmates,  and  we  found  a 
piece  of  cannon  mounted    in  front  of  the  castle.     We  dis- 

1  We  have  found  confirmation  of  this  singular  fact.  The  good  man  was  named 
Narocki,  and  he  pretended  to  have  been  horn  in  lC'JO.  But  ids  great  age  was  only  a 
pretence  in  order  to  ohtain  a  pension. 


138       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

mounted  the  piece,  and  carried  off  the  wheels  and  the  carriage. 
When  we  got  back  to  our  captain  with  these  tremendous  pieces 
of  wood,  we  made  a  fire  big  enough  to  last  all  night.  What  a 
good  night  we  had !  My  captain  and  I  hid  ourselves  so  we 
could  eat  our  bread.  I  said  to  him,  "  I  have  another  loaf  in 
my  knapsack ;  you  shall  have  your  share  to-morrow  evening." 

The  next  day  we  started  off  again  to  the  right,  through  the 
woods  and  the  sands.  The  weather  was  terrible :  snow,  rain, 
and  thaw.  The  sand  gave  way  under  our  feet,  and  the  water 
splashed  up  over  the  sinking  sand.  We  sunk  down  up  to  our 
knees.  We  were  obliged  to  take  ropes,  and  tie  our  shoes 
around  our  ankles,  and  when  we  pulled  our  legs  out  of  this 
soft  sand,  the  ropes  would  break,  and  our  shoes  would  stick  in 
the  wet  mud.  Sometimes  we  would  have  to  take  hold  of  one 
leg,  and  pull  it  out  as  you  would  a  carrot,  carrying  it  forward, 
and  then  go  back  for  the  other,  take  hold  of  it  with  both  hands, 
and  make  it  take  a  step  forward  also ;  our  guns,  meantime, 
hanging  in  our  shoulder-belts,  so  as  to  leave  our  hands  free. 
And  so  we  had  to  go  on  for  two  whole  days. 

Discontent  began  to  spring  up  among  the  old  soldiers ;  some 
of  them  committed  suicide  in  their  moments  of  great  suffer- 
ing. We  lost  about  sixty  of  them  in  the  two  days  previous 
to  our  arrival  at  Pultusk,  a  miserable  thatched  village.  The 
hut  in  which  the  Emperor  had  his  quarters  was  not  worth  a 
thousand  francs.  Here  we  came  to  the  end  of  our  misery,  for 
it  was  impossible  to  go  any  further. 

We  camped  in  front  of  this  poor  little  village,  called  Pul- 
tusk. In  order  to  prepare  for  our  bivouac,  we  went  in  search 
of  some  straw  to  put  under  our  feet.  Not  finding  any,  we 
took  some  sheaves  of  wheat,  and  used  that  to  keep  us  off  the 
ground ;  so  the  barns  were  pillaged.  I  made  several  trips.  I 
brought  back  a  trough  which  the  horse-grenadiers  had  not 
been  able  to  carry  off ;  they  put  it  on  my  back,  and  I  reached 
the  camp,  thus  shaming  my  comrades,  who  were  colossal  crea- 
tures compared  to  me.  But  God  had  given  me  legs  as  fine  as 
those  of  an  Arab  horse.  I  returned  again  to  the  village,  and 
brought  a  small  pot,  two  eggs,  and  some  wood ;  but  I  was  half 
dead  with  fatigue. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  139 

No  man  could  give  any  idea  of  our  wretched  suffering.  All 
our  artillery  was  sunk  in  the  mire ;  the  pieces  dragged  along 
the  ground.  The  Emperor's  carriage,  with  him  inside,  could 
not  be  drawn  out.  We  were  obliged  to  lead  a  horse  up  to  the 
door  of  the  carriage,  so  he  could  get  over  this  terrible  place, 
and  go  on  to  Pultusk.  And  here  he  saw  the  desolation  among 
the  ranks  of  his  old  soldiers,  some  of  whom  had  blown  their 
brains  out.  It  was  here  that  he  gave  us  the  name  of  "grum- 
blers," a  name  which  clung  to  us,  and  which  honors  us  to  this 
day. 

But  to  return  to  my  two  eggs.  I  put  them  into  my  little 
pot,  in  front  of  the  fire.  Colonel  Frederic,  who  commanded 
us,  came  towards  my  lire,  for  I,  who  had  been  bravest  in  the 
cold,  had  been  the  first  to  make  a  good  fire.  Seeing  such  a 
nice  fire,  he  came  to  my  bivouac,  and  looking  at  the  little  pot 
in  front  of  it,  he  said,  "  Is  your  little  stew  boiling  nicely  ?  "  — 
"  Yes,  colonel."  —  "  All  right,  I  will  stay  by  your  fire." 

I  went  for  some  sheaves  of  wheat,  and  gave  him  two  to  sit 
on..  Then  I  took  out  my  two  eggs,  and  gave  him  one  of  them. 
As  he  took  it,  he  gave  me  a  napoleon,  saying,  "  If  you  do  not 
take  these  twenty  francs,  I  will  not  eat  your  egg ;  it  is  worth 
that  to-day."     I  was  obliged  to  take  twenty  francs  for  an 

egg- 

The  horse-grenadiers  occupied  the  village  of  Pultusk ;  they 
found  an  enormous  hog,  and  chased  it  into  our  camp.  As  it 
was  passing  by  our  bivouac,  I  rushed  upon  this  good  game, 
sabre  in  hand.  Colonel  Frederic,  who  had  a  loud  voice, 
shouted  to  me,  "Cut  his  hams."  I  rushed  forward,  caught 
up  with  him,  and  cut  his  hams,  and  cheu  passed  my  sabre 
across  his  throat.  The  colonel  and  his  grenadiers  came  up, 
and  it  was  decided  that  as  I  had  captured  him,  a  quarter  and 
the  two  kidneys  belonged  to  me.  I  at  once  went  up  to  the 
Emperor's  house  to  get  some  salt.  I  found  my  lieutenant  on 
duty,  and  asked  him  for  some  salt  and  a  pot  for  the  colonel, 
adding  that  I  had  captured  a  big  hog,  which  the  horse-grena- 
diers were  chasing.  u  It  is  the  house  hog,"  said  he.  "  The 
Btnperor  was  furious;  they  have  deprived  him  <>'"  his  stew. 
Fortunately,  however,  his  canteens  have  just  :u rived,  so  he  is 


140       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

in  a  good  humor  again ;  but  his  stomach  was  empty  as  well 
as  ours."  —  "  Lieutenanc,  I  will  bring  you  a  broiled  ham  in  an 
hour."  —  "  All  right,  my  good  fellow,  go  cook  it  quickly." 

When  I  got  back,  I  found  the  colonel  waiting  for  me.  "  Here 
is  some  salt  and  a  big  saucepan."  —  "  We  are  saved,"  said  he. 
—  "  But,  colonel,  it  was  the  hog  from  the  Emperor's  quarters ; 
we  have  deprived  him  of  his  stew."  —  "  Is  it  possible  ?  "  —  "  It 
is,  indeed." 

The  grenadiers  and  chasseurs  went  off  on  a  marauding  party 


to  look  for  provisions  for  the  next  day.  They  came  back  in 
the  evening  with  some  potatoes,  which  were  distributed  to  us. 
When  divided  out  to  each  mess,  there  were  twenty  potatoes 
for  every  eighteen  men.  It  was  pitiful.  Only  one  potato  for 
each  man.  The  colonel  and  Captain  Renard  were  well  warmed, 
and  each  ate  a  kidney.  We  divided  everything  with  one 
another.  The  colonel  took  me  aside,  and  asked  me  if  I  could 
read  and  write.  I  answered  that  I  could  not.  "  What  a  pity ! 
I  would  have  made  you  a  corporal."  —  "Thank  you." 

The  Emperor  sent  for  Count  Dorsenne,  and  said  to  him, 
"  You  are  to  set  out  with  my  foot-sruard,  and  enter  Warsaw. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK,  141 

Here  is  the  chart.  Do  not  follow  the  same  road :  you  will 
lose  my  old  grumblers.  Make  me  a  report  of  the  missing. 
Here  is  your  route  to  Warsaw." 

Next  day  we  started,  going  through  by-ways,  from  one 
forest  to  another.  When  we  halted,  about  three  miles  from 
Warsaw,  we  were  in  a  perfect  state  of  starvation  ;  hollow- 
eyed,  sunken-cheeked,  and  unshaved.  We  looked  like  dead 
men  risen  from  the  tomb.  General  Dorsenne  formed  a  circle 
round  him,  and  reproached  us  severely,  saying  that  the 
Emperor  was  displeased  not  to  see  more  courage  under  hard- 
ships which  he  was  sharing  with  us.  "  He  will  treat  you," 
he  says,  "as  grumblers  ought  to  be  treated."  We  shouted, 
"  Hurrah  for  the  general  ! " 

The  inhabitants  of  Warsaw  received  us  with  open  arms, 
January  1,  1807 :  the  people  could  not  do  too  much  for 
us,  and  the  Emperor  allowed  us  to  rest  in  this  beautiful  city. 
But  this  short  campaign  of  fourteen  days  had  aged  us  ten 
years. 

After  having  stayed  some  time  at  Warsaw,  we  were  sent 
forward  among  some  miserable  villages.  The  inhabitants 
had  carried  off  all  their  provisions,  and  led  their  animals  into 
the  forests,  a  great  way  off  from  the  villages.  Like  hungry 
wolves,  driven  from  the  forests  by  famine,  twelve  of  our  men, 
well  armed,  started  out  to  scour  the  forests,  a  league  from  the 
village,  through  snow  a  foot  deep.  When  we  reached  the 
forest,  we  spied  the  footsteps  of  a  man  ;  we  followed  them,  and 
came  to  a  camp  of  peasants,  on  the  other  side  of  the  mount- 
ain. All  their  animals  were  tied  there,  and  pots  were  on  the 
fire ;  they  were  frightened,  and  dared  not  fire  on  us.  They 
had  horses,  cows,  and  sheep.  We  untied  them  all,  and  took 
some  flour  and  a  very  small  quantity  of  bread.  We  returned 
to  our  village  with  two  hundred  and  eight  beasts,  and  a  divis- 
ion of  them  was  made :  half  for  us  and  half  for  the  peasants. 
We  left  them  all  their  horses,  except  four,  which  we  kept  to 
ride  from  one  village  to  the  other ;  and  four  peasants,  whom 
we  wished  to  3erve  us  as  guides.  These  were  the  conditions 
upon  which  we  divided  our  spoils,  and  the  unfortunate  peas- 
ants  went  off   with   their   portion.      We   made   some   bread 


142       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

immediately  ;  it  had  been  so  long  since  we  had  eaten  any, 
that  as  soon  as  it  was  out  of  the  oven,  my  comrades  ate 
enough  to  kill  them.  Two  died;  we  could  not  save  them. 
We  found  some  potatoes,  six  feet  down  in  the  ground,  under 
the  brick  paving  of  one  of  the  rooms  in  our  house ;  this  saved 
our  lives. 

We  had  but  little  to  thank  the  Poles  for ;  they  had  all  run 
away.  All  their  villages  were  deserted ;  they  would  have 
allowed  a  soldier  to  die  at  their  doors  without  giving  him  any 
aid.  The  Germans  never  left  their  houses ;  they  are  the  per- 
sonification of  humanity.  I  have  seen  a  postmaster  killed  in 
his  house  by  a  Frenchman,  and  yet  his  house  turned  into  a 
hospital.  The  master  was  lying  dead  on  his  bed,  and  yet  his 
wife  and  daughter  were  looking  for  linen  to  dress  the  wounds 
of  our  men.  They  said,  "  It  is  the  will  of  God."  This  trait 
of  character  is  sublime. 

In  the  early  days  of  January,  we  received  orders  to  hold 
ourselves  in  readiness  to  march.  The  Russians  had  made  a 
movement  upon  Warsaw.  What  glad  news  for  the  starving 
soldiers  !  Now  we  should  cease  to  be  hungry.  General  Dor- 
sen  ne  received  orders  to  break  up  the  encampment,  and  start 
on  the  30th  of  January.  The  Emperor  also  started  the  same 
day,  so  as  to  keep  ahead  of  us.  We  did  not  catch  up  with  him 
till  the  2d  of  February,  when  he  immediately  went  on.  We 
started  again  on  the  3d,  following  him.  We  were  told  that  we 
were  marching  upon  Eylau,  and  that  the  Russians  had  gone 
to  the  city  of  Koenigsberg  for  the  purpose  of  embarking ;  but 
they  were  waiting  for  us  in  a  position  in  front  of  Eylau,  which 
cost  us  very  dear.  We  carried  the  woods  and  the  heights,  and 
pursued  them  closely ;  they  took  the  road  which  led  to  Eylau, 
to  the  right  over  the  hill-top,  and  there  fought  with  despe- 
ration. They,  however,  finally  lost  their  position.  Prince 
Murat  and  Marshal  Ney  pursued  them  into  Eylau,  where  they 
rushed  pell-mell  through  the  streets.  The  town  was  occupied 
by  our  troops,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  made  to  recapture  it. 

On  the  7th  of  February  the  Emperor  ordered  us  to  camp  on 
an  eminence  in  front  of  Eylau.  This  mountain  was  in  the 
form  of  a  sugar-loaf,  and  very  steep ;  it  had  been  occupied  a 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


143 


day  or  two  before  by  our  troops,  for  we  found  a  number  of 
the  dead  bodies  of  the  Russians  scattered  here  and  there  over 
the  snow ;  and  some  dying  ones,  who  made  signs  to  us  that 
they  wished  to  be  finished.  We  were  obliged  to  clear  away 
the  snow  so  as  to  set  up  our  tents.  We  dragged  the  dead 
bodies  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  and  carried  the 
wounded  to  a  house  quite  at  the  foot  of  it.  Unfortunately 
night  came  on,  and  some  of  the  soldiers  were  so  cold  that  they 
took  it  into  their  heads  to  pull  down  the  house  to  get  wood 
to  warm  themselves.      The  poor  wounded  fellows  were  vic- 


tims of  this  deed  of  desperation.  They  perished  under  the 
rubbish. 

The  Emperor  ordered  us  to  light  his  fire  in  the  midst  of  our 
battalions,  and  asked  that  each  mess  should  give  him  a  log  of 
wood  and  a  potato.  We  brought  him  a  score  of  potatoes,  some 
wood,  and  some  bundles  of  straw.  We  used  for  wood  the  rails 
which  had  formed  the  summer  pens  for  the  cattle.  He  seated 
himself  in  the  midst  of  his  "old  grumblers,"  on  a  bundle  of 
straw,  his  stick  in  his  hand.  We  saw  him  turn  over  his 
potatoes,  and  divide  them  with  his  aides-de-camp. 

From  our  bivouac  I  could  see  the  Emperor  distinctly,  and 
he  saw  all  our  movements.     By  the  light  of  the  pine  logs  I 


144       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

shaved  those  of  my  comrades  who  needed  it  most.  They  each 
sat  down  on  the  rump  of  a  dead  horse,  which  had  been  there 
long  enough  for  the  intense  cold  to  freeze  it  as  hard  as  a 
stone.  I  had  in  my  knapsack  a  towel,  which  I  passed  around 
their  necks,  and  I  had  also  some  soap,  which  I  mixed  with 
snow  melted  over  the  fire.  I  daubed  it  over  them  with  my 
hand,  and  then  performed  the  operation.  Perched  on  the  top 
of  his  bundles  of  straw,  the  Emperor  watched  this  strange 
spectacle,  and  burst  into  peals  of  laughter.  I  shaved  at  least 
a  score  of  them  that  night. 

Early  in  the  morning,  on  the  8th  of  February,  the  Russians 
greeted  us  with  volleys  from  their  cannon.  We  sprang  to 
our  feet.  The  Emperor  mounted,  and  marched  us  forward  on 
the  lake  with  our  artillery  and  all  the  cavalry  of  his  guard. 
The  thunderbolt  caught  us  on  the  frozen  lake.  There  were 
twenty-two  siege  pieces  brought  from  Koenigsberg  firing  upon 
us.  The  shells  passed  over  the  houses,  and  made  great  havoc 
in  our  ranks.  There  is  no  possible  suffering  greater  than  to 
expect  to  be  killed  without  being  allowed  to  defend  one's  self. 
Our  quartermaster  did  a  brave  thing :  a  cannon-ball  took  off 
his  leg ;  he  cut  off  a  small  part  of  flesh  which  remained,  and, 
saying,  "I  have  three  pairs  of  boots  at  Courbevoie,  I  shall 
have  enough  to  last  me  a  long  time,"  he  took  two  guns  for 
crutches,  and  went  off  unassisted  to  the  field-hospital. 

Having  lost  heavily,  the  Emperor  now  brought  us  forward 
on  the  height,  our  left  wing  resting  on  the  church.  He  was 
there  himself  near  the  church,  watching  the  enemy.  He  was 
rash  enough  to  go  close  up  to  the  cemetery,  where  a  fearful 
slaughter  was  kept  up.  This  cemetery  was  the  burial-place 
of  a  great  number  of  French  and  Russians.  We  gained  the 
victory  here.  But  to  the  right,  in*  front  of  us,  the  14th  of  the 
line  was  cut  to  pieces ;  the  Russians  penetrated  their  squaie, 
and  the  carnage  was  terrible.  The  43d  of  the  line  lost  half 
its  men. 

M.  Senot,  our  drum-major,  was  behind  us  at  the  head  of  his 
drummers.  Some  one  came  to  tell  him  that  his  son  had  been 
killed.  He  was  a  youth  of  about  sixteen,  and  belonged  really 
to  another  regiment ;  but,  as  a  favor,  and  out  of  respect  for 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  145 

his  father's  position,  he  had  been  permitted  to  serve  as  a 
volunteer  in  the  grenadiers  of  the  guard.  "  So  much  the 
worse  for  him,"  cried  M.  Senot ;  "  I  told  him  he  was  too 
young  yet  to  follow  me."  And  he  went  on  with  his  duty 
with  unshaken  firmness.  Fortunately,  the  report  proved  false  ; 
the  young  man  had  disappeared  in  a  file  of  soldiers,  who  were 
cut  down  by  a  cannon-ball,  but  he  received  no  injury.  I  have 
seen  him  since,  captain,  adjutant-major  in  the  guard. 

A  bullet  cut  off  the  staff  of  our  eagle  while  our  sergeant- 
major  was  holding  it,  and  made  a  hole  through  and  through 
his  coat.  Fortunately,  he  was  not  wounded.  We  shouted, 
u  Forward  !  Hurrah  for  the  Emperor ! "  As  the  peril  was 
great,  he  decided  to  send  forward  the  2d  regiment  of  grena- 
diers and  the  chasseurs,  commanded  by  General  Dorsenne. 
The  cuirassiers  had  broken  through  the  squares,  and  made 
terrible  slaughter.  Our  grenadiers  fell  upon  the  Russian  guard 
with  their  bayonets  without  firing  a  single  gun,  and  at  the 
same  moment  the  Emperor  charged  them  with  two  squadrons 
of  horse  grenadiers  and  two  of  chasseurs.  They  dashed  for- 
ward with  such  rapidity  that  the  grenadiers  broke  through  all 
the  Russian  lines,  and  made  the  circuit  of  their  whole  army. 
They  returned  covered  with  blood,  having  lost  some  men  who 
had  been  dismounted  and  taken  prisoners.  They  were  con- 
fined in  the  prison  at  Koenigsberg,  and  the  next  day  the 
Emperor  sent  them  fifty  napoleons. 

The  ardor  of  the  Russians  was  abated  after  these  repulses, 
and  they  were  not  anxious  to  recommence  the  fighting.  It 
was  well,  for  our  troops  were  completely  exhausted,  and  our 
ranks  visibly  thinned.  But  for  our  guard  our  infantry  would 
have  been  overcome.  We  did  not  lose  the  battle,  but  neither 
did  we  win  it. 

That  evening  the  Emperor  led  us  back  to  the  position  we 
had  occupied  the  day  before ;  he  was  delighted  with  his  guard, 
and  said  to  the  general,  "  Dorsenne,  you  were  not  joking 
with  my  grumblers ;  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  you." 
What  with  cold  and  hunger,  we  passed  a  wretched  night. 
The  battlefield  was  covered  with  the  dead  and  wounded  ;  their 
cries  were  blended  into  one  great  shriek.     One  can  convey 


146       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

no  idea  of  that  terrible  day.  The  next  day  was  employed  in 
digging  ditches  to  bury  the  dead,  and  in  carrying  the  wounded 
to  the  field-hospitals.  About  noon  some  casks  of  brandy, 
which  the  Jews  brought  from  Warsaw,  arrived,  escorted  by  a 
company  of  grenadiers.  The  order  was  given  that  each  man 
should  have  his  turn  :  a  cask  was  turned  up  on  end,  and  the 
head  knocked  in.  Two  grenadiers  held  the  money  bag ;  four 
at  a  time  came  up,  and  each  dropped  in  six  francs  ;  then 
dipped  a  certain  sized  glass  into  the  cask,  and  were  forbidden 
to  dip  in  a  second  time.  Then  four  others  came  up,  and  so 
on.  The  four  casks  saved  the  army,  and  the  Jews  made  their 
fortune.  They  were  escorted  to  Warsaw  by  a  company  of 
grenadiers,  who  were  paid  three  francs  a  day. 

A  truce  was  agreed  upon.  It  was  found  impossible  to 
continue  fighting ;  the  army  had  suffered  too  much.  The 
Emperor  ordered  us  to  move  our  camps ;  but  before  depart- 
ing, we  carried  off  the  sick  and  wounded  on  sleds,  and  also 
the  pieces  of  cannon  taken  from  the  enemy  and  the  prisoners. 

On  the  17th  of  February  we  set  out  for  Thorn  and  Marien- 
burg,  where  we  found  better  camping  grounds.  It  was  time 
we  should,  for  we  had  not  changed  our  clothes  for  a  month. 

We  came  to  a  large  deserted  village,  called  Osterode.  It 
was  a  poverty-stricken  place  ;  but  we  did  find  a  few  potatoes. 
The  Emperor  took  up  his  quarters  in  a  barn,  but  finally  found 
more  comfortable  lodgings;  he  was  always  in  our  midst,  and 
often  lived  on  food  that  was  given  him  by  his  soldiers.  But 
for  the  soldiers  the  poor  officers  would  have  died  of  hunger. 
The  inhabitants  had  buried  everything  underground  in  the 
forests  and  in  their  houses.  After  much  searching,  we  dis- 
covered their  hiding-places.  By  sounding  with  the  butt  ends 
of  our  guns  we  found  provisions  of  all  sorts  :  rice,  bacon,  wheat, 
flour,  and  hams.  Our  officers  were  immediately  informed  of 
this,  and  they  had  the  different  articles  dug  up,  and  placed  in 
the  storehouse.  Our  dear  Emperor  did  everything  he  could 
to  procure  provisions  for  us  ;  but  they  did  not  come,  and  we 
were  often  without  rations.  So  we  had  to  go  out,  in  all  that 
terrible  weather,  in  search  of  food.  "  Come,  let  us  start  out 
to-morrow,"  said  I  one  day.     "  Let  a  score  of  us,  well  armed, 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  147 

scour  the  great  pine  forests,  where  they  say  we  shall  find 
fallow-deer  and  stags.  The  snow  will  be  an  assistance  to  us 
in  finding  the  game.  We  must  start  at  daybreak,  and  say 
nothing  about  it  to  any  one ;  our  sergeant  will  set  it  all  right." 
—  "  We  are  agreed,"  said  they  ;  "our  little  brave  fellow  wants 
to  eat  some  venison.     Come,  let  us  be  off." 

With  our  guns  well  loaded,  we  plunged  into  the  forest.  A 
herd  of  deer  passed  us  about  two  hundred  feet  away,  and  then 
a  great  many  hares ;  but  we  missed  them  every  time  we  fired. 
I  saw  a  hare  go  leaping  by,  not  very  far  off,  and  as  he  went 
into  some  small  pine-trees  about  five  feet  high,  which  grew 
thick,  near  by,  I  bent  some  of  them  over  to  see  if  I  could 
find  his  burrow.  To  my  astonishment  one  of  the  pines  came 
up  out  of  the  ground.  I  took  hold  of  another ;  it  came  up  also. 
I  tried  another  with  the  same  result,  and  then  I  shouted  to  my 
comrades,  "  This  way !  this  way  !  I  have  some  good  news  for 
yon.  These  pines  are  not  growing  here."  — "  What  do  you 
mean  ?  "  they  answered.     "Come  here  and  see." 

Feeling  sure  that  it  was  a  large  hiding-place,  we  began  to 
sound ;  but  the  ramrods  were  not  long  enough  and  the  place 
was  a  hundred  feet  square.  We  were  so  glad  !  I  said,  "  My 
hare  was  the  cause  of  our  wind-fall ;  we  must  mark  the  place. 
There  is  no  road  to  it ;  how  could  they  have  accomplished 
it?  The  wretches  must  have  brought  the  things  on  their 
backs.  Let  us  now  get  our  bearings,  and  mark  the  pine-trees, 
so  that  we  can  find  our  way  back  to-morrow." 

We  went  to  work  and  cut  off  pieces  of  the  bark  from  the 
pine-trees  on  the  right  and  left.  Being  always  on  the  look- 
out, I  saw  a  plank  nailed  upon  a  large  pint',  and  then  another 
twenty-five  feet  higher.  Of  course  we  had  to  find  out  what 
this  meant,  so  we  cut  down  some  pine-trees,  and  cut  notches 
in  the  branches  to  make  a.  ladder.  When  we  reached  the  box, 
we  took  out  the  peg  which  held  up  the  plank,  which  was  five 
or  six  feet  high,  and  found  salt  meats,  stuffed  tongues,  geese, 
hams,  bacon,  and  honey  ;  and  afterwards,  we  found  two  hun- 
dred boxes  filled  with  all  sorts  of  things,  among  them  a  great 
many  shirts.  We  carried  off  the  shirts,  some  of  the  stuffed 
tongues,  and  geese.     After   marking  our   road,  my  comrades 


148       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

said,  "Our  ferret  has  a  good  nose."  It  was  late  when  we 
returned  to  the  camp,  loaded  down,  but  glad  at  heart.  The 
sergeant-major  immediately  informed  the  officers  of  our  good 
fortune.  The  captain  came  to  see  us.  "Here  is  our  ferret," 
said  my  comrades  ;  "  it  was  he  who  found  it  all."  —  "  Yes,  cap- 
tain, a  hiding-place  a  hundred  feet  long,  and  so  deep  under- 
ground that  we  could  not  sound  it  with  our  ramrods.  Here 
is  some  ham,  bacon,  and  goose ;  take  some.  To-morrow  we 
will  set  out  with  wagons,  shovels,  and  pickaxes,  and  a  good 
many  men  and  ammunition,  for  we  must  sleep  all  night  in 
the  woods."  —  "  Two  lieutenants  shall  go  with  fifty  men,"  said 
our  captain.  "  You  will  also  need  some  knapsacks  and  some 
axes.  The  lieutenant  shall  take  my  horse  and  a  bundle  of 
hay ;  if  you  are  obliged  to  stay  all  night,  he  can  return  to 
give  us  news  of  you." 

We  started  off  with  our  officers  and  all  the  knapsacks 
belonging  to  our  mess.  We  reached  the  place,  and,  after  a 
great  deal  of  hard  labor,  dug  down  into  the  hiding-place. 
What  treasures  we  found  there !  It  took  us  twenty-four 
hours  to  empty  the  cave.  It  was  good  to  see  our  happy  faces. 
There  was  a  large  quantity  of  wheat,  flour,  rice,  and  bacon ; 
chests  full  of  linen  shirts,  and  salt  meats  of  every  kind.  They 
had  replanted  the  pines,  and  replaced  the  moss.  One  had  to 
go  on  a  hare  hunt  to  discover  the  treasure. 

The  lieutenant  returned  to  make  his  report  and  send  us 
wagons,  and  some  men  from  other  companies.  This  hole  held 
twenty-five  four-horse  wagon  loads.  We  had  to  make  a  road 
to  get  to  it.  How  rejoiced  all  our  grumblers  were  when  they 
saw  the  wagons  coming  !  their  faces  sparkled.  "  This  is  not 
all,"  said  I ;  "  we  have  yet  to  take  the  hives  we  found  up  in 
the  trees,  and  look  around  up  in  the  big  pines  for  boxes." 
Our  search  was  well  rewarded :  we  found  more  than  a  hundred 
boxes  filled  with  salt  meats,  linen,  and  honey.  We  all  climbed 
up,  and  filled  our  knapsacks. 

On  our  return  with  all  these  provisions,  we  made  a  big  fire 
to  cook  hams,  and  regale  ourselves,  at  the  expense  of  the  Poles, 
who  wanted  to  starve  us,  for  in  our  winter  quarters  we  had 
passed  fifty  days  without  tasting  bread.     They  had  all  left  their 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  149 

houses.  If  any  remained,  it  was  to  watch  over  their  hiding- 
places.  When  we  asked  them  for  food,  they  always  refused. 
They  are  a  people  destitute  of  human  feeling ;  they  are  will- 
ing that  men  should  starve  at  their  doors.  Hurrah  for  the 
Germans,  who  are  always  resigned  to  fate,  and  never  desert 
their  homes ! 

On  our  return  to  the  camp,  I  was  triumphantly  received  by 
the  whole  regiment.  Rice  was  distributed  to  the  grenadiers, 
and  the  wheat  was  ground  up  to  make  bread.  This  discovery 
led  to  further  searching;  taking  soundings  became  our  sport. 
All  the  barns  were  ransacked,  and  the  pavements  of  the  houses 
and  barns  taken  up.  There  were  hiding-places  everywhere, 
and  provisions  in  every  place.  The  Russians  were  starving, 
too,  and  they  came  to  beg  some  potatoes  from  our  soldiers. 
They  no  longer  thought  of  fighting,  and  left  us  undisturbed  in 
our  quarters.  This  terrible  winter  was  the  cause  of  great 
suffering  to  us. 

Seeing  a  peasant  go  every  morning  and  look  over  his  garden, 
I  watched  him,  and  went  there  and  sounded.  I  came  to  some- 
thing which  seemed  soft,  and  I  went  to  inform  my  comrades 
of  it.  We  set  to  work  at  once,  and  discovered  the  bodies  of 
two  cows,  which  were  entirely  decayed.  The  smell  was  terrible. 
But  under  this  carrion  there  were  big  casks  filled  with  rice, 
bacon,  ham,  and  all  the  utensils  of  the  village :  saws,  axes, 
shovels,  and  pick-axes ;  in  short,  everything  we  needed ;  and 
also  some  preserves  made  of  grapes  and  pears,  for  our  dessert. 
I  jumped  for  joy  at  having  persisted  in  removing  the  carrion 
(it  was  a  sickening  task).  We  did  not  tell  our  officers  about 
this  hiding-place,  and  we  got  out  of  it  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
of  rice  and  quantities  of  bacon. 

Finding  that  the  snows  were  beginning  to  melt,  the  Emperor 
sent  for  his  engineers  to  come  and  lay  out  a  camp,  in  a  fine 
position  in  front  of  Finkenstein.  The  lines  were  marked  off 
in  the  form  of  a  square.  In  the  middle  there  was  a  place  for 
a  palace,  which  was  to  be  built  of  brick.  When  the  plan  was 
made  out,  we  went  to  look  for  planks  to  make  our  barracks. 
In  this  country  the  gardens  are  enclosed  with  big  posts  and 
pine  planks  twenty  feet  long  and  a  foot  wide.     We  set  to  work 


150       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

to  pull  these  planks  off  the  posts.  We  sent  off  twenty  wagons 
loaded  with  it,  and  they  returned  for  more.  For  three  leagues 
around  all  the  enclosures  were  torn  down.  In  a  fortnight  our 
barracks  were  completed,  and  the  Emperor's  palace  was  almost 
done.  A  liner  encampment  could  not  possibly  have  been  found. 
The  streets  were  named  alter  the  battles  won  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war.  Our  officers  were  comfortably  lodged,  and  the 
whole  army  was  camped  in  fine  positions.     The  Emperor  went 


W»— ^ 


around,  and  was  present  at  the  drills.  He  sent  to  Dantzig 
for  brandy  and  provisions,  and  for  wine  for  his  staff.  All  the 
soldiers  looked  happy.  He  came  often  to  see  us  eat  our  soup, 
and  would  say,  "  Do  not  let  me  disturb  you ;  I  am  much 
pleased  with  my  grumblers ;  they  have  furnished  me  with 
excellent  lodgings,  aud  my  officers  have  rooms  with  plank 
floors.  The  Poles  can  make  a  town  of  it."  As  we  found 
some  pieces  of  cloth  in  the  hiding-places,  we  made  some 
pantaloons,  and  great  bags,  six  feet  long,  to  sleep  in.  The 
Poles  came  with  some  beautiful  ladies,  in  carriages,  to  see  our 
plank  city. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  151 

We  passed  the  month  of  May  trotting  around,  all  fresh  and 
be-powdered,  as  when  at  Paris.  But  on  the  5th  of  June,  our 
brave  Marshal  Ney  was  attacked  and  pursued  by  a  strong 
force  of  the  Russians.  A  courier  arrived,  bringing  the  news 
of  it  to  the  Emperor.  The  camp  was  at  once  broken  up,  and 
we  got  ready  to  start.  At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
6th  we  set  out  to  join  the  army.  We  arrived  at  our  destina- 
tion the  next  day,  and  were  immediately  placed  in  line  of 
baocle  with  our  artillery.  We  were  near  Eylau  ;  we  were  sent 
to  the  right  and  forward  to  meet  the  Russians  in  the  lonely 
plain  of  Friedland,  at  the  ford  of  a  river.  They  were  awaiting 
us  in  a  hue  position :  they  had  many  redoubts  on  the  heights 
and  bridges  behind  them. 

The  brave  Marshal  Lannes  came  up  from  Warsaw,  greatly 
disgusted  with  the  Poles.  In  a  discussion  with  the  Emperor, 
in  front  of  the  grenadiers,  we  heard  him  say  to  him,  "  The 
blood  of  one  Frenchman  is  worth  all  Poland."  The  Emperor 
answered,  "  If  you  are  not  satisfied,  go  away."  —  "  No,"  replied 
Lannes,  "  you  (tu)  need  me." 

This  great  warrior  was  the  only  one  who  dared  say  "  thou  " 
(tu)  to  the  Emperor.  Pressing  his  hand,  the  latter  said,  "  Set 
off  at  once  with  Oudinot's  grenadiers,  your  own  corps  and  the 
cavalry.  March  upon  Friedland.  I  will  send  Marshal  Ney 
to  you." 

These  two  great  soldiers  found  themselves  opposed  by 
forces  more  than  double  as  strong  as  their  own.  They  held 
out  till  noon.  The  grenadiers,  light-horsemen,  and  cavalry 
held  the  enemy  in  check  till  we  came  up ;  but  it  was  all  they 
could  do.  The  Emperor  went  galloping  by  all  the  troops  who 
were  marching  up.  As  he  went  through  a  wood  where  Oudinot's 
wounded  men  were  passing,  they  called  out  to  him,  "Hurry  to 
the  aid  of  our  comrades.  The  Russians  have  the  upper  hand 
just  now."  The  Emperor,  finding  the  Russians  near  a  river, 
wanted  to  cut  their  bridges.  He  gave  this  task  to  the  intrepid 
Ney,  who  went  off  at  a  gallop.  All  the  troops  came  up.  The 
Emperor  ordered  an  hour  for  rest,  visited  the  lines,  came 
galloping  back  to  his  guard,  changed  his  horse,  and  gave  the 
signal  to  attack  the  Russians  from  all   points.     The  Russians 


152       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

fought  like  lions ;  they  preferred  to  be  drowned  rather  than 
to  surrender. 

After  this  memorable  day's  fight,  which  was  kept  up  late  by 
the  light  of  the  burning  of  Friedland  and  some  of  the  neigh- 
boring villages,  the  fighting  ceased,  and  they  took  advantage 
of  the  night  to  beat  a  retreat  upon  Tilsit.  Our  Emperor  slept 
on  the  battle-field,  as  usual,  so  as  to  see  that  the  wounded 
were  cared  for,  and  the  next  day  he  pursued  the  Russians  to 
the  Niemen.  Our  soldiers  could  only  catch  up  with  the  rear- 
guard, the  stragglers ;  they  captured  some  savages  named 
Kalmucks,  fellows  with  big  noses,  flat  faces,  large  ears,  and 
quivers  full  of  arrows.  There  were  eighteen  hundred  cavalry- 
men of  them ;  but  our  gllets  de  fer  fell  upon  them,  and  hunted 
them  down  like  sheep.  They  were  commanded  by  Russian 
commissioned  and  non-commissioned  officers.  We  got  permis- 
sion to  go  to  their  camp  to  see  these  savages.  Rations  of 
meat  were  distributed  to  them,  and  they  devoured  it  instantly. 
On  the  19th  of  June,  our  troops  found  themselves  in  front  of 
the  Russians,  who  had  crossed  the  Niemen,  and  destroyed  all 
the  bridges.  The  river  is  not  wide  at  this  place ;  it  runs 
across  the  foot  of  a  beautiful  broad  street,  which  passes 
through  Tilsit,  and  is  closed  at  one  end  by  a  sort  of  barrack, 
where  the  Russian  guard  is  lodged  when  in  the  service  of  the 
sovereign.  His  own  camp  was  at  the  end  of  a  lake,  to  the 
right  of  the  city.  The  Emperor  reached  the  Niemen  with  his 
cavalry.  The  Russians  were  on  the  opposite  shore,  without 
bread.  We  were  obliged  to  send  them  provisions  at  a  distance 
of  six  or  seven  leagues.  At  last  an  envoy  of  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  came  across  the  river  to  hold  a  parley.  He  was  pre- 
sented to  Prince  Murat,  and  then  to  Napoleon,  who  gave  him 
an  immediate  answer,  for  he  sent  us  an  order  to  hold' ourselves 
in  readiness  for  the  next  day.  Next  day  a  Russian  prince 
came  over,  and  orders  were  issued  that  we  should  be  under 
arms  to  receive  the  Emperor  of  Russia  in  front  of  the  whole 
army  in  full  uniform.  We  were  told  that  a  raft  was  to  be 
built  upon  the  river,  and  that  the  two  Emperors  were  to  hold 
a  conference,  and  make  peace.  God  only  knows  how  glad  we 
were  to  hear  this  !     We  acted  like  crazy  people. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  153 

The  officers  inspected  us  carefully,  to  be  sure  that  nothing 
was  wanting  in  our  dress  ;  our  queues  were  well  tied  up  and 
powdered,  our  shoulder-belts  clean  and  white.  No  absences 
were  permitted.  When  all  was  ready,  we  were  ordered  to  be 
under  arms  at  eleven  o'clock,  so  as  to  go  down  to  the  river. 
There  was  awaiting  us  there  the  most  splendid  sight  that 
will  ever  be  seen  on  the  Niemen.  In  the  middle  of  the  river 
there  was  a  magnificent  raft,  covered  with  large  pieces  of 
handsome  tapestry,  and  on  one  side  of  it,  to  the  left,  there 
was  a  tent.  On  each  shore  there  was  a  beautiful  barge,  richly 
decorated,  and  manned  by  a  crew  from  the  guard.  The  Em- 
peror arrived  at  one  o'clock,  and  entered  his  barge  with  his 
staff.  The  Emperors  left  either  shore  at  the  same  signal ; 
they  had  each  the  same  distance  to  go,  the  same  course  to 
take ;  but  our  Emperor  was  the  first  to  reach  the  raft.  The 
two  great  men  embraced  each  other  as  if  they  had  been 
brothers  returning  from  exile ;  and  from  every  side  rose 
shouts  of  "  Vive  l'Empereur !  " 

The  interview  was  prolonged,  and  then  each  withdrew  to 
his  own  shore.  The  next  day  we  went  through  the  same 
display.  This  time  it  was  to  receive  the  King  of  Prussia. 
Fortunately,  Alexander  the  Great  was  there  to  defend  him  ; 
he  looked  like  a  victim.  My  God,  how  thin  he  was  !  He  was 
a  miserable  sovereign,  but  he  had  a  very  beautiful  queen. 
This  interview  between  the  three  sovereigns  was  short,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  our  Emperor  should  give  them  board  and 
lodging  in  the  city.  This  was  magnanimous,  after  having 
thrashed  them  well ;  but  he  bore  them  no  malice. 

The  city  was  then  divided  »in  half,  and  the  next  day  the 
whole  guard  was  under  arms  in  the  beautiful  street  of  Tilsit, 
three  ranks  deep  on  each  side.  Our  Emperor  went  down  to 
the  bank  of  the  river  to  meet  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  took 
with  him  horses  to  mount  the  Emperor  and  the  princes.  The 
King  of  Prussia  was  not  there  that  day.  What  a  fine  sight  it 
was !  all  those  sovereigns  and  princes  and  marshals,  among 
them  the  proud  Murat,  who  rivalled  the  Emperor  of  Russia  in 
beauty  of  person  ;  and  all  in  splendid  uniform  !  The  Emperor 
of  Russia  came  in  front  of  us,  and  said  to  Colonel  Frederic, 


154       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGN ET. 

"  You  have  a  fine  guard,  colonel."  —  "  And  a  good  one,  sire," 
said  he  to  the  Emperor,  who  answered,  "  I  know  it." 

The  next  day  he  entertained  them  with  a  grand  review  of 
his  guard,  and  the  third  corps,  commanded  by  Marshal  Davoust, 
in  a  plain  about  a  league  from  Tilsit.  The  day  was  fine ;  the 
guard  as  dazzling  as  when  at  Paris,  and  there  was  no  fault  to 
be  found  with  the  marshal's  corps.  They  all  had  on  white 
pantaloons.  After  being  reviewed  by  the  three  sovereigns, 
we  were  made  to  march  past  by  division,  commencing  with 
the  third  corps,  and  after  them  the  "  grumblers."  It  was 
like  a  marching  rampart.  The  Emperor  of  Russia,  the  King 
of  Prussia,  and  all  their  generals  saluted  each  division  of  the 
guard  as  it  passed  them. 

Orders  were  issued  that  we  should  prepare  to  give  an  enter- 
tainment to  the  Russian  guard.  Very  long  and  wide  tents 
were  to  be  put  up,  with  the  openings  all  on  a  line,  and  with 
beautiful  pine-trees  planted  in  front  of  them.  One-half  of  us 
went  with  our  officers  to  get  the  pine-trees,  and  the  other  half 
put  up  the  tents.  Eight  days  were  given  us  to  make  our 
preparations,  and  a  circuit  of  eight  miles  of  country  in  which 
to  procure  provisions.  We  started  off  in  good  order,  and  that 
day  the  provisions  were  contracted  for.  The  next  day  more 
than  fifty  wagons,  loaded  and  driven  by  peasants,  came  to  the 
camp.  The  peasants  had  conformed  to  this  requisition  with 
good  grace,  and  they  were  sent  off  entirely  satisfied.  They 
thought  that  the  carts,  which  were  drawn  by  oxen,  would  be 
detained  at  the  camp;  but  they  were  discharged  immediately, 
and  the  peasants  jumped  for  joy.  At  noon,  on  the  30th  of 
June,  our  feast  was  spread.  More  beautiful  tables  were  never 
seen,  all  decorated  with  epergnes  made  of  turf,  and  filled  with 
flowers.  In  the  back  part  of  each  tent  there  were  two  stars 
with  the  names  of  the  two  great  emperors  formed  of  flowers, 
and  draped  with  the  French  and  Russian  flags. 

We  marched  out  in  corps  to  meet  this  fine  guard,  which 
was  to  arrive  by  company.  We  each  offered  an  arm  to  one  of 
the  giants,  and,  as  there  were  more  of  us  than  of  them,  two  of 
us  offered.  They  were  so  tall  they  might  have  used  us  as 
walking-canes.     As  for  me,  the  smallest  of  all,  I  had  one  of 


"  I  was  obliged  to  look  up 
beside  him."  —  Page  166. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  155 

them  all  to  myself.  I  was  obliged  to  look  up  to  see  his  face. 
I  looked  like  a  little  boy  beside  him.  They  were  astonished 
to  see  us  so  splendidly  dressed :  even  our  cooks  were  all  pow- 
dered, and  wore  white  aprons  to  wait  in.  In  fact,  everything 
was  in  the  best  style. 

We  seated  our  guests  at  table  between  us,  and  the  dinner 
was  well  served.  Everybody  was  in  the  highest  spirits. 
These  famished  men  could  not  control  themselves ;  they  did 
not  know  how  to  show  the  reserve  which  is  proper  at  table. 
Brandy  was  served ;  it  was  the  liquor  used  at  the  entertain- 
ment. Before  presenting  it  to  them,  we  had  to  taste  it,  and 
then  offer  it  in  a  tin  goblet,  which  held  a  quarter  of  a  litre. 
The  contents  of  the  goblet  would  instantly  disappear.  They 
would  swallow  pieces  of  meat  as  large  as  an  egg  at  each 
mouthful.  They  seemed  to  become  very  uncomfortable.  We 
made  signs  to  them  to  unbutton  their  coats,  doing  the  same 
thing  ourselves.  This  rendered  them  comfortable.  They  had 
rags  stuffed  inside  their  uniforms  to  make  them  full-chested, 
and  it  was  disgusting  to  see  these  rags  hanging  out. 

Two  aides-de-camp,  one  from  our  Emperor  and  one  from 
the  Emperor  of  Russia,  came  to  tell  us  not  to  move  from  the 
tables,  as  the  Emperors  were  coming  to  make  us  a  visit.  They 
soon  arrived.  Our  Emperor  motioned  to  us  to  remain  seated. 
They  walked  round  the  table,  and  the  Emperor  of  Russia  said 
to  us,  u  Grenadiers,  your  entertainment  is  worthy  of  you." 

After  the  Emperors  were  gone,  the  Russians,  who  were  now 
at  their  ease,  began  to  eat  again,  as  hard  as  they  could.  We 
stuffed  them  with  meat  and  drink,  and  when  they  found  they 
could  not  eat  all  that  was  on  the  table,  what  do  you  suppose 
they  did  ?  They  poked  their  fingers  down  their  throats, 
threw  up  their  dinner  in  a  pile  between  their  legs,  and  began 
eating  again  with  all  their  might.  It  was  disgusting  to  see 
such  conduct.  They  thus  made  three  meals  at  one  dinner. 
That  evening  we  accompanied  those  who  could  be  taken  away, 
to  their  quarters,  and  left  the  rest  of  them  in  their  vomit, 
under  the  table. 

One  of  our  fellows  took  a  notion  to  disguise  himself  as  a 
Russian,  and  offered  to  change  uniforms  with  one  of  them. 


156       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

The  exchange  was  made,  and  they  started  off,  arm  in  arm. 
On  reaching  the  beautiful  street  of  Tilsit,  our  fellow  let  go 
the  Russian's  arm.  He  met  a  Russian  sergeant  to  whom  he 
made  no  salute,  and  who  gave  him  three  blows  over  his 
shoulder  with  his  cane.  At  this  he  forgot  his  disguise, 
leaped  upon  the  sergeant,  and  threw  him  down.  He  would 
have  killed  him,  if  he  had  been  allowed  to  do  so,  and  that 
under  the  very  balcony  from  which  the  two  Emperors  were 
watching  the  merry  soldiery.  This  scene  caused  them  to 
laugh  heartily.  The  sergeant  was  left  on  the  ground,  and 
everybody  was  glad  of  it,  especially  the  Russian  soldiers. 

When  the  Emperor  had  arranged  his  affairs,  he  made  his 
adieux  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and,  on  the  10th  of  July, 
left  Tilsit  for  Koenigsberg,  where  he  arrived  the  same  day. 
We  set  out  at  once  to  join  him  by  way  of  Eylau.  Here  we  saw 
the  graves  of  our  brave  comrades  who  had  died  for  their  coun- 
try. Our  officers  ordered  us  to  carry  arms,  and  pass  through 
the  battle-field  in  solemn  silence.  We  went  on  to  Koenigs- 
berg, a  beautiful  maritime  city,  and  there  we  were  lodged  and 
fed  by  the  inhabitants.  The  English,  not  knowing  that  peace 
had  been  signed,  came  into  port  with  ships  loaded  with  provis- 
ions for  the  Russian  army.  One  of  these  ships  was  loaded 
with  herrings,  and  the  other  with  snuff.  We  concealed  our 
troops  in  the  houses  along  the  harbor.  As  soon  as  the  ships 
entered  the  harbor  we  fired  on  them,  and  they  surrendered. 
Good  Lord,  what  a  quantity  of  snuff  and  herrings!  Six 
packages  and  a  dozen  herrings  were  given  to  each  man  in 
the  troop.  The  Russians  who  were  on  board  the  captured 
vessels  were  glad  to  be  taken  prisoners,  and  our  Emperor  sent 
them  back  to  their  sovereign. 

At  this  time  we  received  orders  to  plant  trees  along  the 
principal  street,  and  to  sand  it,  to  receive  the  Queen  of  Prussia, 
who  was  coming  to  visit  our  Emperor.  She  arrived  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  Lord,  how  beautiful  she  looked  with  her 
turban  on  her  head !  It  was  said  that  she  was  the  beautiful 
queen  of  an  ugly  king,  but  I  think  that  she  was  both  king 
and  queen.  The  Emperor  came  to  the  bottom  of  the  great 
stairway  to  receive  her,  and  offered  her  his  hand ;  but  she 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  157 

could  not  make  him  yield.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  stand 
guard  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway  that  evening,  so  I  could  see 
her  near  at  hand ;  and  the  next  day,  at  noon,  I  was  put  at  the 
same  post.  I  had  a  good  chance  to  look  at  her.  How  beau- 
tiful she  was,  and  what  a  queenly  bearing  !  At  thirty -three,  I 
would  have  given  one  of  my  ears  to  stay  beside  her  as  long 
as  the  Emperor  did.  This  was  the  last  time  I  ever  went  on 
guard  as  a  common  soldier. 

General  Dorsenne  received  orders  to  distribute  to  us  the 
shoes  and  shirts  which  were  in  the  Russian  and  Prussian  store- 
houses, and  have  us  inspected.  The  Emperor  was  to  review 
his  guard  before  leaving.  All  was  in  commotion.  We  found 
everything  as  it  should  be  in  that  beautiful  city.  Its  cleanli- 
ness was  unrivalled.  French  ladies  should  go  there,  if  they 
want  to  see  dazzling  apartments  :  shovels,  tongs,  doorways, 
balconies,  everything  was  shining.  There  were  spittoons  in 
all  the  corners  of  the  rooms,  and  the  linen  was  as  white  as 
snow.  It  was  a  perfect  model  of  neatness.  After  the  shoes 
and  linen  had  been  distributed,  the  general  ordered  his  cap- 
tains to  inspect  their  companies.  The  review  was  to  take 
place  on  the  square  at  eleven  o'clock. 

Captain  Renard  went  to  see  the  adjutant-major,  Iff.  Belcourt, 
to  talk  with  him  about  me.  They  sent  for  me  to  tell  me  that 
I  was  to  be  made  corporal  in  my  company,  as  they  wished  to 
reward  me.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  I  do  not  know  how  to  read  or 
write."  —  "You  shall  learn." — "Ah!  I  thank  you;  but  that 
is  impossible."  — "  You  shall  be  corporal  to-day,  and  if  the 
general  asks  you  if  you  can  read  and  write,  you  must  answer, 
'  Yes,  general,'  and  I  will  undertake  to  have  you  taught.  I 
have  some  well-educated  young  soldiers,  who  will  be  very  glad 
to  teach  you."  I  was  very  much  ashamed  to  have  to  learn  to 
read  and  write  at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  and  I  cursed  my 
father  for  having  abandoned  me. 

Finally,  at  noon,  M.  Belcourt  and  my  captain  went  up  to 
the  general,  and  had  a  talk  with  him.  "Order  him  out  of  the 
ranks."  He  eyed  me  from  head  to  foot,  and,  seeing  my  cross, 
he  asked  me,  "  When  were  you  decorated  ?  "  —  "  Among  the 
first.     I  was  at  the  Invalides."  —  "  The  first  one,  were  you  ?" 


158      THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

said  he.  "Yes,  general."  —  "Have  him  made  corporal  at 
once."  I  felt  relieved,  for  I  was  trembling  in  presence  of 
this  man,  so  strict  and  so  just.  The  whole  company  was  sur- 
prised at  seeing  me  appointed  corporal  in  my  own  company ; 
no  one  had  suspected  it.  All  the  corporals  came  around  me,  and 
said  kindly,  "  Never  mind ;  we  will  show  you  how  to  write." 
As  soon  as  I  reached  my  lodging,  I  went  immediately  to  see 
my  sergeant-major,  who  took  me  by  the  hand,  saying.  "Let  us 
go  at  once  to  see  the  captain." 

He  received  me  cordially,  and  said  that  he  should  give  me 
a  mess  of  nineteen  men,  and  put  into  it  seven  of  the  most 
negligent  but  best  educated  recruits.  "  He  will  train  them," 
said  he  to  the  sergeant-major,  "  and  they  will  show  him  how 
to  read  and  write.  I  give  you  charge  of  this  good  work.  He 
deserves  it,  for  he  saved  our  lives ;  we  always  found  some- 
thing to  eat  at  his  bivouac."  I  went  to  see  M.  Belcourt,  who 
remembered  the  eagerness  with  which  I  had  returned  to  him 
his  lost  watch.  Seeing  him  one  day  galloping  about  in  the 
rear,  I  said  to  him,  "  Where  are  you  going  so  fast,  major  ? 
You  have  lost  your  watch ;  there  it  is."  —  "  That  was  one  of 
the  kindnesses  one  does  not  easily  forget,"  said  M.  Belcourt. 
"  Go  on ;  do  your  duty ;  you  will  not  be  left  behind."  Lord, 
how  pleased  I  was  with  that  reception  ! 

I  now  found  myself  the  head  of  a  mess  of  twelve  "  grum- 
blers "  and  seven  well-educated  recruits.  The  sergeant-major 
had  told  them  what  to  do,  for  they  started  out  at  once  for  the 
bookseller  to  buy  paper,  pens,  ruler,  pencil,  and  an  old  Testa- 
ment. I  was  surprised  to  find  that  I  was  to  have  seven 
teachers.  "  See  here,"  said  they ;  "  these  are  what  we  are 
going  to  work  with."  — "  I,"  said  the  one  whose  name  was 
Galot,  "am  going  to  set  your  copies."  —  "And  I,"  said  he 
whose  name  was  Gobin,  "  will  teach  you  to  read."  — "  We 
will  all  teach  him  to  read  by  turns,"  said  they  all.  "All 
right,  I  thank  you  all,"  said  I ;  "  I  will  repay  you  by  taking 
care  of  your  uniforms,  which  need  putting  in  order." 

But  this  was  not  all.  The  seven  corporals  of  the  company 
came  and  brought  me  two  pairs  of  straps,  and  the  tailor  to 
sew   them   on.      "Come,"    said    they,    "take   off  your   coat. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


159 


These  straps  belonged  to  two  of  our  comrades,  who  died  on 
the  field  of  honor."  —  "  Indeed,"  said  I  to  them,  "  you  take 
too  much  trouble  on  my  account ;  we  must  christen  them."  — 
"  No,"  they  replied ;  "  there  are  too  many  of  us."  —  "  No 
matter ;  we  will  take  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  little  glass  of  some- 
thing. But  I  beg  you  will  allow  me  to  invite  my  teachers 
and  the  tailor  who  sewed  on  my  chevrons  to  join  us."  —  "All 
right,"  said  they,  "we  will  go."  So  I  started  off  with  my 
fifteen  men  for  the  cafe.     I  seated  them  at  a  table,  and  went 


W& 


to  find  the  host,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  shall  pay  the  bill  for  all, 
you  understand."  —  "  All  right,"  said  he.  "  Be  sure  to  let  us 
have  some  French  brandy."  —  "  You  shall  have  some."  I  was 
twelve  francs  out  of  pocket,  and  we  left  the  cafe  well  pleased. 
I  said  my  lessons  regularly,  like  a  child,  beginning  by  mak- 
ing crooked  marks,  and  learning  verses  in  the  Testament,  and 
reciting  them  to  my  teacher.  But  we  had  to  pass  the  final 
review,  and  the  next  day,  July  13,  we  started  for  Berlin  in 
high  spirits.  The  people  of  Berlin  came  out  to  meet  us  ;  they 
knew  that  peace  had  been  made.  We  could  not  have  been 
more  kindly  received :  we  were  comfortably  lodged,  and  many 


160       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

of  them  took  us  to  cafes.  They  said  to  us,  "  So  the  Russians 
found  their  masters,  did  they  ?  But  they  say  that  our  sol- 
diers do  not  fight  well."  —  "  Your  soldiers  are  as  brave  as  the 
Russians,  and  the  Emperor  had  your  wounded  men  well  cared 
for ;  we  carried  them  to  the  field-hospitals,  as  we  did  our  own. 
You  have  also  a  great  general,  who  took  good  care  of  our 
prisoners  ;  our  Emperor  knows  him  well."  Then  they  grasped 
us  by  the  hand,  saying,  "  That  is  like  Frenchmen ! "  But  I 
said  to  them,  "Your  prisoners  are  better  off  than  your  sol- 
diers ;  they  have  good  bread,  work  well  paid,  and  not  beaten."  1 
—  "  How  kind  you  are,  corporal !  you  make  us  very  happy. 
You  have  behaved  yourselves  in  Berlin  as  though  you  were 
our  own  countrymen."  — "  I  thank  you  in  the  name  of  my 
comrades."  2 

We  marched  by  way  of  the  regular  halting-places.  The 
large  towns  of  Potsdam,  Magdeburg,  Brunswick,  Frankfort, 
and  Mayence  received  us  with  triumphant  demonstrations. 
Joy  was  painted  on  every  countenance.  The  country  people 
came  out  on  the  roads  to  see  us  go  by.  All  along  the  way 
refreshments  were  prepared  for  us  in  the  villages.  The  vil- 
lages vied  with  the  cities  in  their  attentions  to  us.  Well  fed 
and  triumphant,  we  returned  to  the  gates  of  our  own  capital, 
which  surpasses  all  others  that  I  have  ever  seen.  There  tri- 
umphal arches  awaited  us,  magnificent  receptions,  the  theatres, 
and  the  beautiful  ladies  of  Paris,  who  were  there  looking  down 
upon  us. 

The  Emperor  received  us  at  the  Tuileries  in  our  clean,  but 
threadbare,  uniforms.  Then  we  marched  through  the  garden 
of  the  Tuileries,  and  sat  down  to  dinner  at  a  table  in  the 
Avenue  de  l'Etoile,  and  thence  on  to  Courbevoie  to  rest  awhile. 
But  the  Emperor  did  not  allow  us  to  remain  quiet  long.  He 
immediately  established  regimental  schools,  and  sent  to  Paris 
for  two  professors  to  instruct  us :  one  in  the  morning  and  the 
other  in  the  evening. 

*  Corporal  punishment  formed  and,  indeed,  still  forms  a  part  of  Prussian  military 
discipline. 

2  One  cannot  help  thinking  here  of  the  contrast  presented  by  our  relations  as 
belligerents  sixty-four  years  later.  And  yet  we  are  told  that  civilization  softens  the 
manners. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  161 

This  was  a  great  help  to  me.  I  immediately  purchased  a 
grammar  and  a  theory.  Twice  a  day  I  had  recitations,  and, 
with  the  assistance  of  my  recruits,  I  made  rapid  progress.  I 
never  left  my  studies,  except  to  go  on  guard.  As  soon  as  my 
recitations  were  over,  I  went  off,  and  concealed  myself  in  a 
very  secluded  part  of  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  there  studied 
my  theory.  At  the  end  of  two  months,  I  could  write  a  large 
hand,  and  I  can  say  I  did  it  well.1  The  professors  said  to  me, 
"  If  we  have  you  for  a  year,  you  will  know  how  to  write  very 
well ;  you  have  a  good  hand."     How  proud  I  felt ! 

The  Emperor  also  established  a  swimming-school,  where  we 
could  learn  to  swim.  He  had  some  barges  placed  near  the 
bridge  of  Neuilly,  and  there  a  broad  girth  was  passed  under 
the  stomach  of  each  grenadier  who  did  not  know  how  to 
swim  ;  then  two  men  in  each  barge  would  hold  on  to  it,  and 
the  soldiers  thus  became  so  daring,  that  in  two  months  there 
were  eight  hundred  grenadiers  who  could  swim  across  the 
Seine.  I  was  told  that  I  must  learn  to  swim.  I  answered 
that  I  was  too  much  afraid  of  the  water.  "  Very  well,"  said 
the  adjutant-major,  "let  him  alone;  do  not  force  him."  — 
"Thank  you." 

The  Emperor  ordered  that  the  strongest  swimmers  should 
be  held  in  readiness,  at  noon,  in  undress  with  linen  pantaloons. 
The  next  day  he  came  into  the  court-yard  of  our  barracks,  and 
the  swimmers  were  ordered  out.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
favorite  Marshal  Lannes.  He  asked  for  a  hundred  of  the 
boldest  swimmers.  The  best  of  them  were  pointed  out  to  him. 
•  I  want  them  to  swim  across  with  their  guns  and  cartridge- 
boxes  on  their  heads."  Then  he  said  to  M.  Belcourt,  "  Can 
you  lead  them  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sire."  —  "  Go,  then,  and  get  them 
ready ;  I  will  wait  for  you."  He  walked  up  and  down  the 
court-yard,  and  seeing  me  such  a  little  one  among  the  others, 
he  said  to  the  adjutant-major,  "Send  that  little  decorated 
grenadier  to  me."  I  came,  feeling  very  much  like  a  fool. 
"Do  you  know  how  to  swim?"  said  he.  "No,  sire."  — 
••  Why  not?"  —  "I  am  not  afraid  of  fire,  but  I  am  afraid  of 

1  The  sight  of  Coignet's  autograph  manuscript  compels  us  to  say  that  lie  is  boast- 
ing a  little. 


162       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGN ET. 

watei\"  —  "  Oh  !  you  are  not  afraid  of  fire  !  Very  well,"  said 
he  to  M.  Belcourt,  "  I  exempt  him  from  swimming." 

I  retired  quite  happy.  The  hundred  swimmers  being  ready, 
they  went  down  to  the  shore  of  the  Seine  ;  there  were  two 
boats,  manned  by  sailors  from  the  guard,  to  follow  them,  and 
the  Emperor  dismounted  on  the  bank.  All  the  swimmers 
passed  under  the  bridge  in  front  of  the  castle  of  Neuilly  with- 
out any  accident.  M.  Belcourt,  alone,  was  drawn  under  by 
the  long  grass  which  was  dragged  along  by  the  current,  and 
wound  around  his  legs ;  but  the  boatmen  immediately  went  to 
his  assistance,  and  he  passed  on  with  the  others.  When  they 
reached  the  opposite  shore,  they  made  a  fire.  The  Emperor 
galloped  off,  rode  round  and  went  where  they  were.  He  ordered 
that  some  good  wine  should  be  given  to  the  "  grumblers  "  at 
once,  and  that  they  should  be  sent  back  in  boats.  Wine  was 
distributed  to  all  of  us,  and  twenty -five  sous  to  each  swimmer. 
The  Emperor  also  took  a  fancy  to  send  a  squadron  of  chas- 
seurs, with  arms  and  baggage,  across  the  Seine  in  front  of  the 
Invalides,  at  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  bridge.  They 
crossed  without  accident,  and  reached  the  Champs  Elysees. 
The  Emperor  was  delighted,  but  the  chasseurs  and  their  bag- 
gage were  wet. 

My  duties  as  corporal  increased :  two  lessons  a  day,  and  one 
from  my  two  recruits,  to  say  nothing  of  my  theory,  which  I 
was  obliged  to  recite  every  day.  I  used  to  know  it  perfectly 
when  I  started  from  the  place  where  I  went  to  study  it,  but 
when  I  came  up  to  M.  Belcourt,  I  could  not  repeat  a  single 
word.  "Well,"  he  said,  "how  is  this?  Go  sit  down."  — "I 
knew  it,"  I  answered.  "Come  then,  try  again."  —  "  I  will." 
And  I  then  recited  every  word  of  it.  "  Very  well,"  said  he 
one  day.  "  That  will  do.  To-morrow  no  more  theory.  WTe 
will  now  learn  the  tone  of  command."  Next  day  he  gathered 
us  around  him.  "Now,"  said  he,  "I  am  going  to  begin." 
We  each  had  to  repeat  his  command  in  turn.  I  used  my 
voice  so  well  that  he  was  surprised,  and  said  to  me,  "  Begin 
again,  and  do  not  be  in  a  hurry.  I  shall  give  the  command, 
and  you  have  only  to  repeat  after  me.  Do  not  be  timid ;  you 
come  here  to  learn."     Then  I  shouted.     "That's  ricrht,"  said 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


163 


he.  "See,  gentlemen,  little  Corporal  Coignet  will  make  a 
good  tutor.  In  a  month  he  will  surpass  us."  —  "Ah,  major, 
you  make  me  feel  abashed."  —  u  You  will  see,"  said  he,  "when 
you  have  more  self-possession." 

As  for  my  theory,  I  did  not  get  along  very  well  with  that ; 
I  was  always  at  work  on  it,  but  I  did  not  do  nearly  so  well  as 
my  comrades,  who  recited  like  parrots.  I  retaliated  on  them, 
however,  by  surpassing  them  all  in  practice.  I  became  very 
skilful  in  the  use  of  arms,  but  was  always  suffering  from  my 
ignorance.  I  purchased  two  hundred  little  wooden  soldiers, 
and  used  to  drill  them. 


When  there  was  a  grand  drill,  I  tried  to  remember  every 
command.  The  brave  general,  Harlay,  who  commanded,  was 
a  perfect  drill-master;  one  could  learn  under  him.  The  flank 
movement  by  battalion  is  the  most  difficult.  It  is  necessary 
to  start  off  simultaneously,  and  to  halt  in  the  same  manner, 
turn  to  the  front  with  a  "  Left  face  !  "  all  keeping  at  the  same 
distance  from  one  another,  and  in  a  perfect  line  with  the  line 
guides.  Also  we  had  to  give  the  commands,  "March "and 
"  Halt "  on  the  left  foot.  I  remembered  every  word  of  these 
difficult  tactics.     I  scarcely  ever  left  my  barracks. 

About  the  end  of  August,  the  Emperor  had  grand  drills  and 
frequent  reviews  in  the  plain  of  St.  Denis.     We   perceived 


164       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

that  he  was  preparing  for  another  campaign.  There  were 
troubles  brewing  in  the  direction  of  Madrid. 

We  had  a  good  time  in  Paris  until  the  month  of  October, 
1808,  going  through  reviews,  and  making  cartridges.  I  espe- 
cially devoted  myself  to  improving  my  writing  and  theory. 
General  Dorsenne  held  inspections  every  Sunday.  This  strict 
general  would  come  into  our  rooms,  and  pass  his  hand  along 
the  bread-shelf  overhead,  and,  if  he  found  one  speck  of  dust  on 
it,  four  days  in  the  guard-room  for  the  corporal !  He  raised 
up  our  vests  to  see  if  our  shirts  were  clean.  He  even  examined 
our  feet,  our  finger-nails,  and  our  ears  to  see  if  they  had  been 
attended  to.  He  looked  into  our  trunks  to  see  that  we  had  no 
soiled  clothes  in  them.  He  even  looked  under  the  mattresses. 
We  were  all  afraid  of  him.  Once  a  fortnight,  he  came  with 
the  surgeon-major  to  visit  us  while  we  were  in  bed.  We  had 
to  turn  out  in  our  shirts,  and  were  forbidden  to  absent  our- 
selves on  these  occasions  under  pain  of  imprisonment. 

Finally,  early  in  October,  the  Emperor  issued  orders  for  us 
to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  to  march  in  a  few  days.  Our 
officers  had  our  trunks  packed  so  they  could  be  taken  to  the 
storehouse.  And  it  was  well  they  did :  the  order  came  for  us 
to  start  for  Bayonne.  I  said  to  my  comrades,  "  We  are  going 
to  Spain  :  beware  of  the  fleas  and  the  lice  !  They  root  up  the 
straw  in  the  barracks,  and  run  around  over  the  pavement  like 
mice.  Have  an  eye  to  our  drunkards,  too,  the  wine  of  that 
country  sets  them  crazy  ;  it  is  impossible  to  drink  it."  All 
turned  out  as  I  had  predicted.  At  the  end  of  a  week's  sojourn 
in  Valladolid,  we  had  to  feed  the  soup  to  our  drunkards  :  they 
trembled  so  they  could  not  hold  their  spoons. 

From  Bayonne  we  went  to  Irun ;  thence  to  Vittoria,  a 
pretty  town,  and  thence  to  Burgos,  where  we  remained  a  few 
days.  There  is  a  fine  church  there  ;  the  interior  of  the  build- 
ing is  exceedingly  beautiful.  There  is  an  immense  clock 
inside,  and  at  noon  its  two  doors  open,  and  different  curious 
objects  come  out.  The  principal  spire  of  this  handsome  edi- 
fice is  flanked  by  small  towers  which  form  four  fronts,  and 
contain  beautiful  rooms,  which  all  communicate.  A  small 
stairway,  leading  from  a  wide  vestibule,  runs  along  the  left 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  165 

side  of  the  building ;  at  the  end  of  it  there  is  a  beautiful  gar- 
den. Our  horse-grenadiers  put  up  their  horses  under  the  fine 
old  arches,  which  were  filled  on  the  left  side  with  bales  of 
cotton.  They  were  about  to  start  out  on  a  foraging  party, 
when,  at  the  foot  of  the  small  stairway,  appeared  a  little  boy 
of  eleven  or  twelve  years,  who  seemed  to  wish  to  attract  the 
attention  of  our  grenadiers.  As  soon  as  one  of  them  saw  him, 
he  ran  back  up  the  stairway ;  but  the  grenadier  followed  him, 
and  caught  up  with  him  at  the  top  of  the  steps.  As  soon  as 
he  reached  the  landing-place,  the  little  boy  opened  a  door,  and 
the  grenadier  entered  with  him.  The  door  closed,  and  the 
monks  cut  off  his  head.  The  little  boy  came  down  again, 
showed  himself  as  before,  and  another  grenadier  followed  him, 
and  fell  a  victim  to  the  same  fate.  The  little  boy  returned  a 
third  time,  but  a  grenadier  who  had  seen  his  comrades  go  up 
the  stairway,  said  to  those  who  had  just  returned  from  the 
foraging  party,  "  Two  of  our  men  have  already  gone  up  to 
the  belfry,  and  have  not  returned.  They  are,  perhaps,  shut 
up  in  the  belfry ;  we  must  see  about  it  at  once." 

So  they  started  off  in  pursuit  of  the  child.  They  took  their 
carbines  along,  mounted  the  narrow  stairway,  and,  to  prevent 
being  surprised,  fired  them  off  when  they  reached  the  top, 
burst  open  the  door,  and  found  their  comrades  lying  there 
with  their  heads  cut  off  and  bathed  in  their  own  blood.  Our 
old  soldiers  became  perfectly  enraged.  They  slaughtered  the 
wicked  monks;  there  were  eight  of  them,  and  they  had  all 
sorts  of  ammunition,  provisions,  and  wine.  It  was  quite  a 
fortress.  We  threw  the  Capuchins  and  the  little  boy  out  of 
the  dormer-windows  down  into  the  garden. 

After  having  rendered  a  last  duty  to  our  comrades,  we  left 
Burgos,  and  marched  forward.  After  going  two  leagues,  we 
came  up  with  the  King  of  Spain,  who  had  come  to  meet  his 
brother,  our  Emperor,  and  they  set  off  to  rejoin  the  army 
which  was  moving  on  Madrid.  They  caught  up  with  the  ad- 
vance guard, which  was  being  closely  pursued.  <>n  the  30th  of 
November,  1808,  the  battle  of  the  Sierra  took  place.  Tt  was 
a  most  difficult  position,  but  the  Emperor  did  not  hesitate  ;  he 
assembled  all  his  sharp-shooters,  and  stationed  them  along 


166       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

the  mountains.  When  he  saw  them  coming  near  the  flank  of 
the  enemy's  artillery,  he  sent  the  Polish  lancers  out  upon  the 
highway  with  the  horse  chasseurs  of  the  guard,  and  ordered 
them  to  clear  the  mountain  without  stopping.  It  was  bris- 
tling with  pieces  of  cannon.  They  started  off  at  a  gallop, 
cutting  down  everything  before  them.  The  ground  was  strewn 
with  horses  and  men.  The  sappers  cleared  the  road  by  throw- 
ing them  down  into  the  ravines. 

The  Spaniards  made  every  effort  to  defend  their  capital,  but 
the  Emperor  turned  Madrid,  which  was  blockaded.  The  gar- 
rison was  very  weak;  even  the  inhabitants  and  the  monks 
had  taken  up  arms.  They  had  all  joined  in  the  revolt,  had 
taken  up  the  pavements  of  the  city,  and  carried  the  stones  up 
into  their  houses.  We  were  ordered  to  camp  near  a  chateau 
a  short  distance  from  Madrid,  where  we  remained  two  days. 
There  was  not  enough  water  in  the  castle  well  to  supply  us, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  go  off  in  search  of  some.  We  re- 
turned to  camp  with  two  hundred  asses  laden  with  wine  in 
leather  bottles  made  of  goat-skin,  and  we  had  to  shave  our- 
selves with  wine.  We  tied  our  quadrupeds  to  some  posts  for 
the  night,  but  the  next  morning  they  made  such  a  fearful 
noise  that  the  Emperor  could  not  stand  it,  and  sent  an  aide-de- 
camp to  put  a  stop  to  the  racket.  We  let  the  poor  beasts 
loose,  and,  finding  themselves  at  liberty,  they  escaped  into  the 
open  fields  where,  having  nothing  else  to  eat,  they  devoured 
each  other. 

The  cannonading  was  unceasing ;  balls  were  sent  into  the 
city  from  every  direction ;  but  they  would  not  surrender. 
However,  their  losses  were  finally  so  great  that  they  were 
compelled  to  do  so.  The  Emperor  declared  that  if  a  single 
stone  should  fall  on  his  soldiers,  he  would  put  all  the  inhab- 
itants to  death  with  the  sword.  They  gained  nothing  but  the 
trouble  of  repaving  their  principal  streets. 

The  city  is  large  and  not  handsome :  great  squares  filled 
with  ugly  barracks.  But  there  is  one  in  the  centre  of  the 
town  which  it  is  impossible  not  to  admire,  on  account  of  its 
beautiful  facade,  fine  walks,  and  lovely  fountain ;  this  is  the 
handsomest  square  in  the  city.     As  for  the  palaces,  the  en- 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK,  167 

trances  are  not  set  off  to  any  advantage.  One  enters  into  a  very 
shabby  reception-room,  with  a  guard-room  on  the  left.  The 
palace,  on  the  right,  is  much  below  the  city ;  it  is  built  on  a 
ravine  or  precipice  of  immense  depth.  The  front  of  it  is 
superb,  and  one  descends  to  it  by  a  magnificent  stairway. 
The  part  of  it  which  fronts  the  city  is  only  a  one-storied 
building  with  handsome  steps  leading  up  to  it.  The  halls  are 
magnificent,  and  there  is  a  very  costly  steel  clock. 

Marshal  Lannes  was  commanded  to  take  Saragossa,  which 
cost  great  loss  to  our  army.  All  the  houses  were  furnished 
with  battlements,  and  we  had  to  carry  them  one  at  a  time. 
The  Emperor  left  Madrid  with  all  his  guard,  and  we  came  to 
the  foot  of  a  steep  mountain,  covered  with  snow  like  St. 
Bernard.  We  encountered  untold  difficulties  in  crossing  it. 
Just  before  reaching  this  terrible  pass,  we  were  overtaken  by 
a  snow-storm  which  almost  blew  us  over.  We  were  obliged 
to  hold  on  to  one  another,  as  we  could  not  see  a  step  before  us. 
It  was  necessary  to  have  an  Emperor  like  ours  to  follow,  in 
order  to  be  able  to  resist  it.  We  slept  at  the  foot  of  this 
mountain,  winch  cost  our  artillery  much  labor  to  cross,  and 
then  descended  on  the  other  side  into  a  plain  where  there 
were  some  miserable  villages  which  had  been  devastated  by 
the  English.  We  came  to  the  shore  of  a  river,  which  we 
found  was  extremely  rapid,  and  from  which  all  the  bridges 
had  been  cut  away.  We  had  to  ford  it,  holding  on  to  one 
another,  scarcely  daring  to  raise  our  feet  lest  we  should  be 
carried  away  by  the  rapidity  of  the  current.  Our  caps  were 
covered  with  sleet.  Imagine  the  delights  of  such  a  bath  in 
the  month  of  January  !  When  we  stepped  into  this  river  it 
came  up  to  our  waists.  We  were  ordered  to  take  off  our 
breeches  before  crossing  the  two  branches  of  the  river,  and, 
when  we  came  out  of  the  water,  our  legs  and  thighs  were  as 
red  as  lobsters. 

On  the  other  side,  there  was  a  field  where  our  cavalry  suc- 
cessfully charged  the  English.  We  had  to  pursue  them  in 
order  to  support  the  charge,  and  we  marched  at  a  quickstep, 
without  stopping,  as  far  as  Benevento,  which  we  found  had 
also  been  ravaged  by  the  English ;  they  had  carried  off  every- 


168       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

thing.  Our  cavalry  pursued  them  as  far  as  possible.  They 
killed  all  their  horses,  and  abandoned  all  their  baggage-wagons 
and  artillery.  The  Emperor  ordered  us  to  recross  the  terrible 
river.  Think  of  two  such  baths  in  one  day  !  This  was  some- 
thing to  grumble  at ;  but  he  had  provided  for  our  comfort,  and 
had  had  fires  lighted  a  short  distance  off,  so  we  could  warm 
ourselves. 

The  whole  guard  now  started  for  Valladolid,  a  large  city. 
Here  even  the  monks  had  taken  up  arms :  all  the  convents 
were  deserted,  and  we  were  at  no  loss  for  lodgings.  We  were 
ordered  to   return  to   France   by   forced    marches,   and   the 


Emperor  set  out  for  Paris.  He  had  a  little  surprise  prepared 
for  us  on  our  arrival  at  Limoges,  for  he  wanted  to  take  care 
of  our  legs  and  our  shoes.  We  were  received  in  this  city,  and 
passed  the  night  there.  The  next  day  our  officers  said,  "  Take 
the  hammers  off  your  guns,  and  wrap  them  up  well- with  the 
screws  and  the  bayonets  lest  they  should  be  lost.  The  whole 
guard  will  go  to  Paris  in  wagons.  The  wagons  are  ready  out- 
side the  city." 

As  I  was  taking  my  gun  to  pieces,  I  said  to  my  captain, 
"  They  surely  take  us  for  calves,  putting  us  in  on  straw  in 
this  fashion."  He  laughed,  and  replied,  "That  is  so;  but 
time  presses.     There  is  mischief  brewing.     We  are  not  yet 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  169 

ready  to  sleep  in  our  beds,  and  one  cannot  tell  what  may  hap- 
pen between  here  and  Paris." 

After  taking  our  guns  to  pieces,  we  started  off.  Crowds  of 
people  were  on  the  streets.  Outside  of  the  city  we  found  the 
wagons  with  the  bottoms  covered  with  straw  waiting  for  us. 
The  gendarmes  were  stationed  in  lines  on  each  side  of  the 
road  to  guard  them.  We  mounted  by  companies,  in  perfect 
order ;  the  number  in  each  wagon  was  according  to  the  capac- 
ity of  the  vehicle ;  for  instance,  if  there  were  three  horses, 
twelve  men  were  put  in.  When  we  reached  the  relay  five 
francs  were  paid  for  each  draft  horse,  and,  if  the  horse  died, 
three  hundred  francs  were  paid  at  once.  Paymasters  were  on 
hand  when  the  troops  arrived,  ready  to  pay  for  everything, 
and  other  wagons  were  ready  for  a  fresh  start.  Tickets  for 
refreshment  had  been  issued  to  each  company.  The  inhab- 
itants came  out  to  meet  the  train  of  wagons,  each  having  an 
order  for  a  certain  number  of  men  whom  they  were  to  feed, 
and  took  them  off  at  once  to  seat  them  at  table.  Everything 
was  in  readiness  everywhere.  We  had  only  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  for  eating,  and  started  off  immediately  after.  The 
drum-major  had  his  food  brought  to  him  at  his  place,  so  that 
he  could  be  ready  to  sound  the  roll-call  at  the  precise  moment. 
There  was  no  delay.  When  we  were  ready  to  start,  the  bat- 
talion was  spread  out  in  a  line  along  the  road,  so  that  each 
company  faced  the  wagons  into  which  they  were  to  mount  by 
messes.  There  was  not  a  moment  lost:  each  man  felt  the 
need  of  doing  his  duty.  We  travelled  twenty-five  leagues  a 
day.  It  was  as  though  a  streak  of  lightning  passed  from  the 
south  to  the  north. 

The  long  journey  from  Limoges  to  Versailles  was  soon 
made.  On  arriving  at  the  gates  of  that  beautiful  city,  we 
were  ordered  to  get  out  of  the  wagons  and  enter.  We  had  to 
remount  our  guns,  and  march  through  the  city  in  a  state  of 
utter  weariness  and  starvation  (we  were  neither  shaved  nor 
combed).  We  counted  on  finding  wagons  on  the  other  side  of 
Versailles,  but  we  were  mistaken.  We  were  obliged  to  go  on 
foot  as  far  as  Courbevoie,  where  we  were  to  pass  the  night, 
and  where,  half  dead  with  fatigue  and  hunger,  we  found  pro- 
visions and  wine. 


170       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

The  next  day  was  occupied  in  making  ourselves  clean.  We 
drew  upon  the  stores  of  linen  and  shoes,  and  the  day  after 
that  the  Emperor  reviewed  us.  Then  we  started  off  at  once, 
but  the  favor  was  granted  us  of  being  sent  in  cabs :  a  requisi- 
tion had  been  made  for  all  in  the  city.  Four  grenadiers  in  a 
cab,  with  bags  and  gims-,  was  the  arrangement.  When  we 
arrived  at  Claye,  we  gave  some  hay  to  our  miserable  nags,  fed 
our  coachmen,  and  started  off  again  in  the  same  carriages.  At 
each  halting-place  we  found  our  dinners  waiting  on  the  table. 

We  went  to  Ferte-sous-Jouarre,  where  the  big  wagons  of 
Brie  with  big  horses  and  good  fresh  straw  awaited  us  (twelve 
men  to  each  wagon).     Those  cursed  roads  were  full  of  deep 


ruts  and  large  stones.  The  jolting  knocked  us  together,  and 
threw  us  down  upon  one  another.  Lord,  what  suffering  it 
was !  We  travelled  twenty-five  or  six  leagues  every  day.  On 
reaching  Lorraine,  we  found  small  light  horses  and  small  low 
carriages,  which  carried  us  along  like  the  wind ;  they  were 
hitched  one  horse  before  the  other.  We  were  able  to  make 
thirty  leagues  with  such  horses ;  but  it  was  frightful  to  descend 
the  steep  mountains  with  them,  particularly  those  where  the 
road  turns  off  towards  Metz.  When  we  arrived  at  the  gates 
of  this  city,  we  had  to  salute  it,  consequently  we  were  obliged 
to  remount  our  guns,  and  put  on  our  full  uniforms,  unpack  our 
knapsacks,  and  change  our  linen.  More  than  ten  thousand 
people  had  come  out  to  see  us,  among  them  a  great  many 
ladies  who  had  never  seen  the  Emperor's  guard.     As  soon  as 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  171 

our  guns  were  mounted,  we  opened  our  knapsacks  to  change 
our  clothes.  It  was  a  high  wind,  in  which  to  change  our 
shirts ;  they  all  flew  up  in  the  air,  and,  consequently,  the  field 
was  soon  cleared.     But  we  could  not  do  otherwise. 

Our  entrance  into  the  city  was  magnificent :  we  were  lodged 
with  the  citizens,  and  kindly  treated.  The  Emperor  said  that 
the  Lorraine  horses,  by  their  fleetness,  had  caused  the  guard  to 
gain  fifty  leagues.  We  then  set  out  from  Metz,  with  orders  not 
to  halt  night  or  day.  We  were  guided  by  a  fairy  wand.  It 
was  night  when  we  reached  Ulm.  Our  billets  for  lodging  were 
given  us,  but,  after  we  had  eaten  something,  the  drums  beat 
the  grenadiere,  and  we  had  to  fly  to  arms  immediately.  On 
the  road  to  Augsburg  we  had  a  roll-call  at  nine  o'clock  at 
night.  No  more  carriages  after  that ;  we  were  in  the  enemy's 
country.  We  had  to  rub  up  our  legs,  and  march  all  night. 
We  came  to  a  town  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We 
were  only  allowed  three-quarters  of  an  hour  to  eat,  and  started 
off  again  immediately.  We  were  obliged  to  march  twenty-one 
leagues  the  first  day  with  our  heavy  loads 'on  our  backs. 

Then  only  a  halt  of  half  an  hour.  The  next  day  no  time 
for  rest,  except  just  long  enough  to  eat  and  be  off  again.  We 
had  still  twenty  miles  to  make  before  reaching  Schoenbrunn. 
After  going  fifteen  or  sixteen  leagues,  we  were  ordered  into 
line  of  battle  in  front  of  a  large  village,  and  there  the  requisition 
was  sent  for  twenty-five  brave  men  to  volunteer  to  join  the 
Emperor  at  the  gates  of  Vienna,  and  mount  guard  at  the  cas- 
tle of  Schoenbrunn.  I  remembered  that  I  had  stood  guard  there 
many  a  time.  I  was  the  first  to  step  out  of  the  ranks.  "  I 
will  go,"  said  I  to  my  captain.  "  That's  right,"  said  General 
Dorsenne,  "the  smallest  of  you  sets  a  good  example." 

The  number  was  soon  made  up,  and  we  started  off.  A  bot- 
tle of  wine  was  promised  to  each  of  us  when  we  should  be 
within  three  leagues  of  Vienna.  We  reached  that  point  at 
nine  o'clock  at  night,  utterly  worn  out  and  very  thirsty,  and 
counting  on  the  promise  of  the  bottle  of  wine.  But  no  wine 
was  forthcoming.  We  had  to  go  right  on  without  stopping. 
I  turned  out  of  the  way  to  look  for  some  water  to  quench  the 
thirst  which  was  consuming  me.     I  ran  along  the  street,  and 


172        THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

met  a  peasant  who  was  coming  my  way.  He  was  carrying  a 
bucket  full  of  something,  and,  seeing  me,  he  went  into  a  fine- 
looking  house  where  a  sentinel  was  standing  guard.  I  passed 
on,  but  at  the  corner  of  the  street  I  crouched  along  the  wall. 
The  peasant  came  out  again  with  his  pail.  I  spoke  to  him  in 
his  own  language.  To  my  surprise  his  pail  was  full  of  wine. 
I  made  him  stop  in  front  of  me,  and  hold  up  his  pail  with  both 
hands,  while  I,  putting  my  gun  down  on  the  ground,  began  to 
drink  as  hard  as  I  could.  I  never  before  was  so  thankful  for 
something  to  drink.  This  set  me  on  my  legs  for  the  next 
three  leagues,  and  I  rejoined  my  comrades  with  a  heart  full 
of  contentment. 

We  reached  the  village  of  Schoenbrunn  at  midnight.  Our 
officers  had  the  imprudence  to  allow  us  to  rest  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour's  march  from  the  castle,  awaiting  orders  from  the 
Emperor,  who,  when  he  heard  of  our  arrival,  was  furious. 
"  What,"  said  he,  "  have  you  marched  my  veterans  more  than 
forty  leagues  in  two  days  ?  Who  ordered  you  to  do  this  ? 
Where  are  they  f9?  —  "  Near  by."  —  "  Tell  them  to  come  here, 
that  I  may  see  them." 

We  were  ordered  to  rise,  but  our  limbs  were  as  stiff  as  the 
barrel  of  a  gun.  We  could  not  go  any  farther.  We  had  to  use 
our  guns  as  crutches  to  help  ourselves  along.  When  the  Em- 
peror saw  us  coming,  all  bent  over  on  the  butt-ends  of  our 
guns,  not  one  erect,  all  with  heads  bowed  down,  he  became 
like  a  raging  lion.  "  Can  it  be  that  these  are  my  veterans  in 
this  condition  ?  Suppose  I  needed  them  at  this  moment ! 
You  are  .  .  ."  He  said  everything  he  could  to  them.  He 
said  to  the  horse-grenadiers,  "  Have  large  fires  made  imme- 
diately in  the  middle  of  the  courtyard,  and  go  for  straw  for 
them  to  lie  down  on ;  have  some  pots  of  sweetened  wine 
heated." 

Large  pots  were  quickly  put  on  the  fire  to  make  soup  for 
us ;  and  it  was  a  sight  to  see  the  cavalry-men  running  around, 
and  the  Emperor  having  things  brought  for  us.  During  the 
bombardment  of  Vienna,  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  had  con- 
cealed some  grocery  wagons  which  were  in  front  of  the  gates 
of  the  city ;  they  contained  sugar  and  nuts  and  raisins.     The 


"The  Emperor  never  left  us;  he  stayed  with  us  more  than  an  hour.' 
Page  173. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  173 

sugar  was  now  brought  out,  some  of  it  was  put  in  the  basins 
of  warm  wine,  and  all  sorts  of  cups  were  collected.  The  Em- 
peror never  left  us :  he  stayed  with  us  more  than  an  hour. 
When  the  wine  was  ready,  the  grenadiers  came  around  the 
fires  to  give  us  some  to  drink.  Not  being  able  to  raise  our- 
selves up,  they  were  obliged  to  raise  our  heads  so  we  could 
drink.  The  wicked  grenadiers  jeered  at  us,  saying,  "Your 
shoes  and  the  straps  of  your  knapsacks  have  overcome  you. 
Come,  drink  to  the  health  of  the  Emperor  and  your  good  com- 
rades. We  will  stay  by  you  all  night,  and  take  care  of  you. 
In  a  little  while  we  will  give  you  something  more  to  drink, 
and  then  you  can  go  to  sleep ;  the  soup  is  ready ;  to-morrow 
you  will  be  all  right  again." 

The  Emperor  returned  to  his  palace.  At  five  o'clock  we  sat 
up  on  our  straw  to  eat  our  soup,  meat,  bread,  and  wine.  At 
nine  o'clock  the  Emperor  came  out  again  to  see  us,  and  ordered 
our  officers  to  make  us  rise ;  but  we  each  had  to  have  two  men 
to  assist  us  to  walk,  our  limbs  were  so  stiff.  The  Emperor 
stamped  his  feet  angrily ;  the  grenadiers  mocked  us,  and  our 
officers  did  not  dare  show  themselves  for  fear  of  a  scolding. 
That  night  lodgings  were  found  for  us  in  that  beautiful  and 
wealthy  village,  and  the  whole  guard  arrived,  and  was  com- 
fortably quartered. 

The  bombardment  of  Vienna  had  ceased :  our  troops  had 
taken  possession  of  the  capital.  The  Austrian  armies  had 
blown  up  the  bridges,  after  crossing  over  to  the  other  side  of 
the  Danube.  Great  preparations  were  made  for  recommencing 
hostilities ;  in  order  to  follow  them  up,  we  had  to  cross  this 
terrible  river,  which  was  swollen  and  rushing  on  like  a  torrent. 
The  water  was  very  high,  and  even  large  boats  were  anchored 
with  difficulty.  Very  strong  boats  were  needed  to  make  a 
bridge  of  such  immense  length  over  such  a  rapid  current. 
All  these  preparations  required  time.  The  Emperor,  we  were 
told,  had  his  large  boats  brought  down  about  three  leagues 
below  Vienna,  in  front  of  the  island  of  Lobau  and  the  field  of 
foaling.  When  the  two  bridges  were  completed,  the  Emperor 
sent  Marshal  Lannes'  corps  down  to  await  orders  to  cross ;  he 
placed  a  hundred  thousand  men  in  Vienna  to  hold  that  capital, 


174       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

and  keep  a  strict  watch  upon  all  the  buildings,  so  that  no  one 
could  hold  any  communication  with  Prince  Charles  from  the 
other  side.  The  streets  were  strictly  patrolled,  and  all  the 
people  were  shut  up  in  their  houses.  Then  a  pretence  of 
crossing  was  made  in  front  of  Vienna  so  as  to  keep  Prince 
Charles's  army  in  front  of  his  capital,  and  prevent  them  from 
moving  down  towards  Essling. 

When  all  was  in  readiness,  the  Emperor  promoted  some  of 
his  guard.  I  was  appointed  sergeant  the  18th  of  May,  1809, 
at  Schoenbrunn.  It  was  an  inexpressible  joy  to  me  to  find 
myself  a  non-commissioned  officer,  with  the  rank  of  lieuten- 
ant of  the  line,  and  the  right,  when  in  Paris,  to  carry  a  sword 
and  a  cane.  I  was  to  remain  with  my  company  ;  but  I  did  not 
have  any  sergeant's  chevrons.  I  had  to  give  up  my  corporal's 
stripes  to  my  successor,  and  be  only  a  private  soldier ;  "  But 
courage,"  said  I  to  myself,  "your  time  will  come." 

The  Emperor  ordered  Marshal  Lannes  to  conduct  his  army 
corps  over  the  great  bridge  over  the  Danube,  and  march  them 
forward  beyond  Essling.  The  fusileers  of  the  guard,  Marshal 
Bessieres,  and  a  park  of  artillery  were  in  position  from  early 
morning.  The  Austrians  did  not  perceive  them  until  Lannes 
greeted  them  with  a  round  of  cannon-shot,  causing  them  to 
turn  their  backs  on  their  capital,  and  face  our  army  which  had 
crossed  without  their  permission.  The  whole  army  of  Prince 
Charles  fell  into  line  in  front  of  us,  and  firing  began  from  one 
end  to  the  other.  More  than  a  hundred  thousand  men  fell 
upon  the  corps  of  Marshal  Lannes.  The  guns  sent  a  thunder- 
bolt upon  our  troops,  but  they  held  out  to  the  utmost.  The 
Emperor  ordered  us  to  leave  Schoenbrunn  for  the  Danube 
early  in  the  morning ;  the  whole  infantry  of  the  guard  with 
himself  at  their  head.  At  eleven  o'clock  he  ordered  us  to 
cross  over,  and  to  throw  aside  our  bear-skin  caps.  As  we 
were  in  great  haste,  and  were  going  over  the  bridge,  three 
ranks  at  a  time,  we  unpacked  one  another's  caps  as  we  inarched 
along.1  This  operation  taking  place  as  we  were  going  over 
the  bridge,  we  threw  all  our  caps  into  the  Danube,  and  have 
never  worn  them  since.    That  was  the  end  of  caps  for  the  guard. 

1  They  were  packed  in  boxes  outside  of  the  knapsacks. 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  175 

We  crossed  the  point  of  the  island,  and  came  to  another 
bridge  which  we  went  over  at  a  gallop.  The  foot  chasseurs 
crossed  first,  dashed  into  the  field,  and  made  a  "  column  left 
wheel,"  instead  of  a  right  wheel.  This  mistaken  movement 
could  not  be  rectified,  and  we  had  to  fall  into  line  of  battle  at 
once,  with  our  right  wing  near  a  branch  of  the  Danube.  As 
soon  as  the  fight  began  a  cannon-ball  struck  the  Emperor's 
horse  on  the  hip.  At  once  all  shouted,  "  We  will  lay  down 
our  arms,  if  the  Emperor  does  not  go  to  the  rear  instantly. " 
He  was  compelled  to  recross  the  smaller  bridge,  and  had  a 
rope-ladder  made  up  to  the  top  of  a  high  pine-tree,  from 
which  height  he  could  watch  all  the  movements  of  his  own 
army  and  that  of  the  enemy. 

A  second  cannon-ball  struck  the  drum-sergeant.  One  of  my 
comrades  went  immediately  and  took  off  his  chevrons  and 
epaulets  and  brought  them  to  me.  I  thanked  him,  and  pressed 
his  hand.  This  was  only  a  prelude.  To  the  left  of  Essling 
the  enemy  planted  fifty  pieces  of  cannon  in  front  of  us.  The 
fifty  pieces  thundered  upon  us  without  our  being  able 
to  advance  a  step,  or  fire  a  gun.  Imagine  the  agony  we 
endured  in  such  a  position,  for  I  can  never  describe  it.  We 
had  only  four  pieces  of  cannon  in  front  of  us,  and  two  in 
front  of  the  chasseurs,  with  which  to  answer  fifty.  The 
balls  fell  among  our  ranks,  and  cut  down  our  men  three 
at  a  time ;  the  shells  knocked  the  bear-skin  caps  twenty  feet 
in  the  air.  As  soon  as  one  file  was  cut  down,  I  called  out, 
u  Right  dress,  close  up  the  ranks  !  "  And  the  brave  grenadiers 
closed  up  without  a  frown,  saying  to  one  another  as  they  saw 
the  enemy  making  ready  to  fire,  "  That  one  is  for  me."  — 
"  All  right,  I  will  get  behind  you ;  that  is  a  good  place ;  keep 
quiet." 

A  ball  struck  a  whole  file,  and  knocked  them  all  three  head 
over  heels  on  top  of  me.  I  fell  to  the  ground.  "  Never 
mind,"  I  called  out ;  "  close  up  at  once."  —  "  But,  sergeant, 
the  hilt  of  your  sabre  is  gone,  your  cartridge-box  is  half  cut 
off."  —  "That  is  no  matter;  the  battle  is  not  yet  over." 

There  were  no  gunners  left  to  work  our  two  pieces.  Gen- 
eral Dorsenne  had  them   replaced  by  twelve  grenadiers,  and 


176       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

bestowed  the  cross  on  them.  But  all  those  brave  fellows 
perished  beside  their  guns.  Ko  more  horses,  no  more  artil- 
lery-men, no  more  shells.  The  carriages  were  broken  to 
pieces,  and  the  timbers  scattered  over  the  ground  like  logs  of 
wood.  It  was  impossible  to  make  any  more  use  of  them.  A 
shell  fell  and  burst  near  our  good  general,  covering  him  with 
dirt,  but  he  rose  up  like  the  brave  soldier  that  he  was,  saying, 
"  Your  general  is  not  hurt.  You  may  depend  upon  him,  he 
will  know  how  to  die  at  his  post."     He  had  no  horse  any 


longer;  two  had  been  killed  under  him.  How  grateful  the 
country  ought  to  be  for  such  men  !  The  awful  thunder  con- 
tinued. A  cannon-ball  cut  down  a  file  of  soldiers  next  to  me. 
Something  struck  me  on  the  arm,  and  I  dropped  my  gun.  I 
thought  my  arm  was  cut  off.  I  had  no  feeling  in  it.  I  looked, 
and  saw  a  bit  of  flesh  sticking  to  my  wrist.  I  thought  I  had 
broken  my  arm,  but  I  had  not ;  it  was  a  piece  of  the  flesh  of 
one  of  my  brave  comrades,  which  had  been  dashed  against  me 
with  such  violence  that  it  had  adhered  to  my  arm.  The  lieu- 
tenant came  up  to  me,  took  hold  of  my  arm,  shook  it,  and  the 
piece  of  flesh  fell  off.     I  saw  the  cloth  of  my  coat.     He  shook 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  177 

my  arm,  and  said  to  me,  "  It  is  only  stunned."  Imagine  my 
joy  when  I  found  I  could  move  my  fingers !  The  commander 
said  to  me,  "  Leave  your  gun,  take  your  sabre."  —  "I  have 
none ;  the  cannon-ball  cut  off  the  hilt  of  it."  I  took  my  gun 
in  my  left  hand. 

The  losses  became  very  heavy.  We  had  to  place  the  guard 
all  in  one  rank  so  as  to  keep  up  the  line  in  front  of  the  enemy. 
As  soon  as  this  movement  had  been  made,  a  litter  was  brought 
up  on  our  left,  borne  by  grenadiers,  who  deposited  their  pre- 
cious burden  in  our  centre.  The  Emperor,  from  the  top  of  his 
pine-tree,  recognized  his  favorite,  left  his  post  of  observation, 
and  hastened  to  receive  the  last  words  of  Marshal  Lannes, 
who  had  been  mortally  wounded  at  the  head  of  his  corps. 
The  Emperor  knelt  upon  one  knee,  took  him  in  his  arms,  and 
had  him  carried  over  to  the  island ;  but  he  did  not  survive  the 
amputation.  Thus  ended  the  career  of  that  great  general. 
We  were  all  filled  with  dismay  at  our  great  loss. 

Marshal  Bessieres  was  still  left  to  us,  and  was  dismounted 
with  all  the  rest.  He  came  out  in  front  of  us.  The  cannon- 
ading continued.  One  of  our  officers  was  struck  by  a  cannon- 
ball  which  cut  off  his  leg,  and  the  general  granted  permission 
to  two  of  the  grenadiers  to  carry  him  to  the  island.  They 
laid  him  upon  two  guns,  and  were  bearing  him  off,  but  had 
not  taken  more  than  four  hundred  paces,  when  a  cannon-ball 
killed  all  three  of  them.  A  great  misfortune  befell  us.  The 
corps  of  Marshal  Lannes  beat  a  retreat;  one  part  fell  back 
upon  us  panic-stricken,  and  covered  our  line  of  battle.  As 
there  was  only  a  single  file  of  us,  our  grenadiers  took  them 
by  the  collar,  and  put  them  behind  us,  saying,  "Now  you 
need  not  be  afraid." 

Fortunately  they  all  had  their  arms  and  cartridges.  The 
village  of  Essling  was  in  our  possession,  though  it  had  been 
taken  and  retaken  and  burnt.  The  brave  fusileers  remained 
masters  of  it  the  whole  day.  The  soldiers  behind  our  file 
being  somewhat  restored  to  presence  of  mind,  Marshal  Bes- 
sieres came  up  to  them,  and  reassured  them  by  saving,  "  1  am 
going  to  station  you  as  sharp-shooters,  and  1  shall  be  on  foot 
just  as  you  will  be." 


178       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

Then  they  all  started  off  with  this  brave  general.  He 
then  placed  them  in  single  file  within  range  of  the  fifty 
pieces  whose  fire  we  had  stood  since  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning ;  and  there  they  stood,  a  single  line  of  sharp-shooters 
protecting  the  file-firing  which  had  been  opened  on  the  Aus- 
trian army.  The  brave  marshal,  with  his  hands  behind  his 
back,  walked  up  and  down  the  line,  silencing  for  the  moment 
their  fury  against  us.  This  gave  us  a  little  breathing-space ; 
but  time  passes  slowly  when  one  is  awaiting  death  without 
the  power  to  defend  one's  self.  The  hours  seem  ages.  After 
having  lost  a  fourth  of  our  veterans  without  having  burnt  a 
priming,  I  was  no  longer  at  a  loss  for  sergeant's  chevrons 
and  epaulets ;  my  grenadiers  brought  me  my  pockets  full. 
This  terrible  battle  cost  us  dear.  The  brave  marshal  re- 
mained behind  his  sharp-shooters  more  than  four  hours. 
The  battle  was  neither  lost  nor  won.  We  did  not  know  that 
the  bridges  over  the  broad  river  had  been  carried  away,  and 
that  our  army  was  crossing  the  Danube  at  Vienna.  At  nine 
o'clock  the  firing  ceased.  The  Emperor  ordered  that  each  of 
us  should  light  his  fire,  so  as  to  make  the  enemy  think  that 
our  whole  army  had  crossed  over. 

Prince  Charles  did  not  know  that  our  bridge  had  been  car- 
ried away,  else  he  would  have  captured  us  with  little  trouble, 
and  would  not  have  asked  for  a  truce  of  three  months,  which 
was  immediately  granted,  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  we  were  in  a 
cage :  they  could  have  bombarded  us  on  all  sides.  When  we 
had  gotten  our  fires  to  burning  brightly,  we  were  ordered  to 
recross  to  the  island  on  our  small  bridge,  and  leave  our  fires 
burning.  We  spent  the  night  in  getting  settled  in  position 
without  any  fire,  and  waited  for  the  daylight.  The  next 
morning  some  heavy  pieces  were  brought  over  in  front  of  us, 
and  stationed  at  the  head  of  our  little  bridge.  To  our  great 
surprise  we  saw  nothing  of  our  large  bridge  upon  which  we 
had  crossed  the  day  before.  There  was  no  more  trace  of  it 
than  of  our  hats  which  we  had  thrown  into  the  Danube. 

On  the  river  in  front  of  Vienna,  the  mills,  which  were  on 
boats,  had  been  loosened  from  their  moorings,  and  the  wheels 
taken  off ;  they  were  filled  with  stones,  and  these  heavy  masses 


FIFTH  NOTE- BOOK. 


179 


drifted  down  the  current,  and  carried  off  our  bridge.  This 
sacrifice  of  their  mills  blockaded  us  three  days  in  the  island 
without  bread.  We  ate  up  all  the  horses  which  had  not  died ; 
not  one  was  left.  To  the  prisoners  taken  that  morning  we 
gave  the  heads  and  entrails.  Our  officers  had  nothing  left  but 
bridles  and  saddles.  It  is  impossible 
to  describe  such  destitution ;  and,  in 


addition, 
which    we 


the  heart-rending  shrieks 
could  hear  not  far  off. 
These  came  from  the 
field-hospital,  where  M. 
Larrey  was  making  am- 
putations ;  it  was  fright- 
ful to  listen  to. 

The   Emperor  notified 
the  city  of  Vienna  to  col- 


lect all  its  boats,  and  bring  them  down  to  make  his  bridge 
again.  On  the  fourth  day  we  were  set  free  from  our  imprison- 
ment on  the  island.  We  recrossed  the  awful  river  with  joyful 
hearts,  but  very  pale  faces.  Provisions  awaited  us  at  Schoen- 
brunn,  where  we  arrived  that  night.  Everything  was  in 
readiness  to  receive  us,  and  our  billets  for  lodgings  all  made 
out.  We  had  plenty  of  time  to  recuperate  during  the 
three  months'  truce.     Then  intrenchments  were  begun  in  the 


180       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

island  of  Lobau :  a  hundred  thousand  men  set  to  work  on  re- 
doubts and  covered  roads.  It  would  be  impossible  to  give 
any  idea  of  the  quantity  of  earth  thrown  up  during  those 
three  months.  The  Austrians  threw  up  as  much  more  in  front 
of  us.  The  Emperor  would  leave  his  palace  on  horseback, 
accompanied  by  his  escort,  go  to  the  island  of  Lobau,  and 
mount  to  the  top  of  his  pine-tree ;  thence  he  could  see  all 
their  works,  and  watch  the  execution  of  his  own.  He  would 
return  satisfied  and  happy.  He  would  come  out  to  see  us  as 
soon  as  he  got  back,  speak  to  all  his  veterans,  and  walk 
about  the  courtyard  with  his  hands  behind  his  back.  He 
filled  up  the  vacancies  in  his  guard,  and,  as  he  had  brought 
with  him  some  actors  from  Paris,  he  gave  a  play  in  the  castle. 
The  fair  ladies  of  Vienna  were  invited,  and  also  fifty  non- 
commissioned officers.  It  was  a  magnificent  sight ;  but  the 
ball-room  was  too  small  for  so  many  people. 

My  arm  having  recovered  its  strength,  I  worked  hard  during 
those  three  months  at  my  writing;  I  made  great  progress. 
My  masters  expressed  themselves  quite  satisfied  with  me. 
Not  one  of  the  guard  put  his  foot  into  Vienna,  not  even  the 
Emperor,  but  he  made  frequent  visits  to  the  island  of  Lobau 
to  watch  his  great  preparations.  He  had  his  whole  army 
drilled  so  as  to  keep  in  readiness  to  recommence  the  campaign. 
When  all  was  ready,  he  showed  a  sample  of  his  army  to  the 
amateurs  of  Vienna,  in  a  review  of  a  hundred  thousand  men, 
on  the  heights  to  the  left  of  the  city.  There  he  sent  for  our 
Colonel  Frederic,  and  promoted  him  as  general,  saying,  "I 
will  make  you  win  your  epaulets."  All  the  corps  received 
orders  to  start  for  the  island  of  Lobau  on  the  5th  of  July. 
Fortunately  Prince  Eugene,  with  the  army  of  Italy,  arrived  in 
time  to  cross  the  Danube  on  the  6th  of  July,  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning.     The  whole  army  was  assembled  in  the  plain. 

The  Emperor  had  ordered  rafts  to  be  made,  large  enough  to 
carry  two  hundred  men  each,  who  were  to  take  possession  of 
an  island  occupied  by  the  Austrians,  which  interfered  with 
his  movements :  he  could  not  pass  without  being  seen  by  the 
Austrian  army.  Everything  was  ready  ;  the  light-horsemen 
and  the  grenadiers  on  the  rafts  with  General  Frederic.     They 


FIFTH  NOTE-BOOK.  181 

were  sent  out  precisely  as  the  hour  of  midnight  sounded,  so  as 
to  keep  to  the  agreement,  for  the  truce  ended  on  the  6th  of 
July.  The  rain  was  falling  in  torrents.  The  Austrian  soldiers 
went  into  their  quarters  for  shelter.  Our  rafts  landed  cross- 
wise on  the  sand.  The  water  being  only  up  to  our  calves,  we 
took  the  island  without  firing  a  gun ;  all  the  Austrians  were 
taken  prisoners,  and  then  the  enemy  could  not  see  our  move- 
ments. Two  thousand  sappers  were  sent  with  the  engineers  to 
make  a  road  for  the  pontoon-bridges  and  artillery.  The  trees 
which  happened  to  be  in  the  way  fell  under  axes  and  saws. 
By  daylight  we  were  three  leagues  beyond  the  enemy's  in- 
trenchments  and  our  own  without  the  enemy's  even  suspecting 
it.  Within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  three  bridges  were  built,  and 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  hundred  thousand  men  had 
crossed  over  into  the  plain  of  Wagram.  At  noon  our  whole 
army  was  in  line  of  battle  with  seven  hundred  pieces  of  can- 
non in  battery.  The  Austrians  had  quite  as  many.  We  could 
not  hear  ourselves  speak. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  us  facing  Vienna,  and  the  Austrians 
with  their  backs  turned  on  their  capital.  It  must  be  said  for 
their  credit  that  they  fought  with  determination.  The  Em- 
peror was  informed  that  the  great  battery  of  his  guard  would 
have  to  be  replaced,  as  the  gunners  were  all  killed.  "  What ! " 
said  he,  "  if  I  relieve  the  artillery  of  my  guard,  the  enemy 
will  perceive  it,  and  redouble  their  efforts  to  break  through  my 
centre.  Go  at  once ;  let  the  grenadiers  volunteer  to  serve  the 
pieces."  Twenty  men  from  each  company  started  off  imme- 
diately. It  was  necessary  to  make  a  selection,  for  all  wanted 
to  go.  No  non-commissioned  officers  were  accepted,  only 
grenadiers  and  corporals.  Off  they  started  to  man  a  bat- 
tery of  fifty  pieces.  As  soon  as  they  reached  their  position, 
the  firing  began.  The  Emperor  took  snuff,  and  walked  up 
and  down  in  front  of  us.  Meanwhile  Marshal  Davout  was 
seizing  the  heights,  and  driving  the  enemy  back  upon  us  as  he 
marched  across  the  great  table-land  so  as  to  cut  off  their  road 
to  Olmiitz.  The  Emperor,  seeing  the  marshal  in  front  of  him, 
lost  no  time  in  ordering  all  the  cuirassiers  in  a  body  to  go  for- 
ward, and  break  through  their  centre.    The  whole  body  started 


182       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

together,  and  passed  in  front  of  ns.  The  earth  shook  under  our 
feet.  They  brought  back  with  them  fifty  pieces  of  cannon,  all 
harnessed  up,  and  some  prisoners.  Prince  de  Beauharnais 
came  galloping  up  to  the  Emperor  to  tell  him  that  the  victory 
was  assured.     He  embraced  his  son. 

That  night  four  grenadiers  brought  in  the  colonel  who  had 
commanded  the  fifty  pieces,  to  which  the  Emperor  had  sent 
his  "  grumblers."  This  brave  officer  had  been  wounded  about 
eleven  o'clock.  They  were  carrying  him  to  the  rear  of  his 
battery.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  take  me  back  to  my  post ;  that  is 
my  place  ;  "   and  he  commanded  sitting  down. 

The  guard  formed  a  square,  and  the  Emperor  slept  in  the 
middle  of  it.  He  had  all  the  wounded  got  together,  and  carried 
on  to  Vienna.  The  next  day  we  found  thirty  cannon-balls 
which  had  fallen  in  one  spot.  It  is  impossible  to  give  any 
idea  of  such  a  battle.  On  the  23d  all  the  columns  started 
out  early  in  the  morning.  The  Austrians  had  left,  after  suffer- 
ing great  loss  ;  they  were  compelled  to  come  and  ask  for  peace 
on  the  height  of  Olmiitz  where  the  Emperor  had  erected  his 
magnificent  tent.  The  firing  ceased  on  all  sides.  We  started 
for  Schoenbrunn,  and  there  negotiations  for  peace  were  entered 
upon.  The  armies  remained  in  sight  of  each  other  while  the 
Emperor  arranged  matters. 


SIXTH   NOTE-BOOK. 


RE-ENTRANCE  INTO  FRANCE. THE  FESTIVITIES  OF  THE  IM- 
PERIAL MARRIAGE. 1  DO  THE  DUTIES  OF  SERGEANT-IN- 
STRUCTOR,   MESS-CHIEF,    AND    BAGGAGE-MASTER. 

We  left  Schoenbrunn  for  the  second  time.  When  we  came 
to  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  we  were  received  as  though 
it  had  been  our  own  country.  In  the  large  towns  of  France 
the  people  came  out  to  meet  us.  We  were  received  most  cor- 
dially at  our  lodgings.  At  the  gates  of  Paris  we  found  a  vast 
multitude  assembled,  and  we  could  scarcely  pass  along,  the 
crowd  pressed  so  closely  upon  us.  We  were  immediately  con- 
ducted to  the  Champs-Elysees  to  partake  of  a  cold  collation 
prepared  for  us  by  the  city  of  Paris.  The  time  was  pressing. 
We  had  to  eat  and  drink  standing,  and  leave  at  once  for  Cour- 
bevoie.  The  good  city  of  Paris  gave  us  another  collation 
under  the  galleries  of  the  Place  Royale,  and  a  comedy  at  the 
Porte  St.  Martin.  Triumphal  arches  were  erected.  The 
people  of  Paris  were  wild  with  joy  at  seeing  us  again.  Un- 
happily there  were  many  missing  at  the  roll-call.  A  fourth 
of  us  had  been  left  on  the  battle-fields  of  Essling  and 
Wagram.  But  no  one  was  better  pleased  than  I  to  come 
back  to  Paris  with  my  sergeant's  chevrons,  and  entitled  to 
carry  a  sword  and  cane,  and  wear  silk  stockings  in  summer. 


184       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

I  was,  however,  much  grieved  over  one  thing :  I  had  no  calves 
to  my  legs.  I  had  to  resort  to  false  calves,  and  this  worried 
me  extremely. 

After  a  fortnight's  rest  in  the  fine  barracks  of  Courbevoie, 
all  in  new  clothes,  we  were  reviewed  by  the  Emperor  at  the 
Tuileries.  Preparations  were  being  made  for  the  burial  of 
Marshal  Lannes.  A  hundred  thousand  men  formed  the  funeral 
cortege  of  this  celebrated  warrior,  which  started  from  the 
Gros  Caillou  to  go  to  the  Pantheon.  I  was  one  of  the  non- 
commissioned officers  who  bore  the  bier.  Sixteen  of  us  car- 
ried it  down  eight  or  ten  steps  on  the  left  side  of  the  wing  of 
the  Pantheon,  and  there  placed  it  on  some  trestles.  The 
whole  army  marched  in  front  of  the  remains  of  this  brave 
soldier.     The  procession  was  passing  till  midnight. 

I  resumed  my  duties  as  non-commissioned  officer.  T  applied 
myself  earnestly  to  my  writing,  and  one  day,  being  on  guard 
at  St.  Cloud,  I  made  out  a  report  of  my  fifty  grenadiers, 
with  all  the  names  well  written,  and  carried  it  myself  to 
M.  Belcourt,  who  was  pleased  with  the  neatness  of  my  report, 
and  said  to  me,  "  Go  on ;  you  are  all  right."  I  took  the  great- 
est pains  to  study  my  theory.  I  surpassed  my  comrades  in 
the  tone  of  command,  and  was  considered  to  have  the  strong- 
est voice.  I  was  very  proud  of  my  rank  of  sergeant  and  my 
forty-three  sous  a  day.  Having  some  visits  which  I  was 
obliged  to  make,  I  proceeded  to  get  myself  up.  I  had  to 
have  silk  stockings,  if  I  wore  my  sword.  I  have  already  said 
that  I  had  passed  at  St.  Malo.1  I  had  no  calves  to  my  legs, 
so  I  had  to  get  up  some  false  ones.  I  went  to  the  Palais- 
Royal  to  buy  some.  I  found  a  pair  to  suit  me,  for  which  I 
paid  eighteen  francs,  and  I  got  up  a  good-looking  pair  of  legs, 
with  some  fine  stockings  over  the  false  calves  and  the  silk 
ones  on  top  of  them.  I  made  my  visits,  and  was  overwhelmed 
with  compliments  upon  my  appearance.  I  returned  to  the 
barracks  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  delighted  with  my  day, 
and  found  a  letter  from  my  captain,  Renard,  inviting  me  to 
dine  with  him  on  Sunday,  without  fail,  at  five  o'clock  sharp, 
and  saying  that  his  wife  and  daughter  wished  to  thank  me 

1  An  allusion  to  the  well-known  song,  Bon  voyage,  monsieur  Dumollet,  etc. 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  185 

for  having  put  my  captain  to  bed  in  a  cask  on  the  evening 
before  the  battle  of  Austerlitz. 

I  accepted  this  invitation.  I  met  some  distinguished  mili- 
tary men  and  citizens  and  ladies  of  high  degree.1  I  felt 
rather  uncomfortable  among  my  superiors  in  rank,  all  deco- 
rated, and  in  company  of  such  fine  ladies,  all  dressed  up  in 
plumes.  I  felt  very  small  indeed  in  that  splendid  hall,  as  I 
waited  for  the  dinner  to  be  announced.  My  captain  came  to 
my  relief,  presented  me  to  his  wife,  some  other  ladies,  and 
some  of  his  friends.  I  no  longer  felt  alone  ;  but  I  was  very 
bashful,  and  would  have  preferred  my  mess-table  to  this 
grand  dinner.  We  went  into  the  dining-hall,  where  I  was 
seated  between  two  beautiful  ladies,  and  they  paid  me  much 
attention,  and  soon  put  me  at  my  ease.  By  the  time  the 
second  course  was  served,  every  face  at  the  table  was  beaming 
with  pleasure,  and  the  introduction  of  the  champagne  put  a 
finishing  stroke  to  the  gayety.  My  officers  were  obliged  to 
begin  to  tell  stories  of  their  campaigns. 

The  ladies  who  sat  beside  me  insisted  that  I  should  relate 
my  history.  "  I  beg  that  you  will  excuse  me ;  my  officers 
know  it  all."  —  "  Well,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  will  tell  it  for 
him.  You  see  that  he  is  a  good  soldier.  He  was  the  first  one 
who  received  the  decoration  at  the  Invalides.  He  saved  us 
from  dying  of  hunger  in  Poland,  by  finding  out  all  the  hid- 
ing-places of  the  Poles.  In  fact,  ladies,  I  should  have  been 
dead  but  for  him."  I  was  greatly  confused  at  this  testimonial 
from  my  captain,  and  overwhelmed  by  so  much  attention  from 
everybody.  The  blood  mounted  to  my  face.  I  had  a  white 
handkerchief,  which  I  continually  pulled  out  of  my  pocket  to 
wipe  off  the  perspiration.  My  napkin  was  very  fine,  and,  by 
mistake,  I  wiped  my  face  with  it,  and  put  it  also  into  my 
pocket.  At  the  hour  when  I  was  obliged  to  return  to  my  bar- 
racks, I  got  up  to  go.  The  captain  said  to  me,  "Must  you 
go  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  captain ;  I  have  to  stand  guard  to-morrow."  — 
"  But  you  will  come  back  to-morrow  ?"  —  "  Oh,  no,  I  cannot ; 
I  shall  be  on  guard."  —  "But  you  are  carrying  off  your 
napkin." 

1  We  mu9t  not  forget  that  it  is  a  sergeant  who  is  speaking. 


186       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


Putting  my  hand  in  my  pocket,  I  found  my  napkin  and  my 
handkerchief.  As  I  handed  the  napkin  to  my  captain,  I  said, 
UI  thought  I  was  still  in  the  enemy's  country,  you  see. 
There,  if  you  don't  steal  something,  it  is  thought  that  you 
have  shown  neglect."  —  u  All  right,"  said  he,  "  stay  here  ;  I  will 
send  my  servant  to  the  barracks,  and  you  shall  spend  the 
evening  with  us."  Then,  pointing  to  his  daughter,  "  There  is 
your  accuser.     She  said  to  me,  '  Papa,  he  is  carrying  off  his 

napkin  ;  but  let  him  do 
it.' "  —  "Ah,  how  happy 
I  am  that  your  daugh- 
ter should  have  noticed 
me." 

I  went  back  to  my 
studies  in  writing  and 
tactics,  working  unceas- 
ingly for  the  next  six 
months,  and  only  leav- 
ing my  barracks  to  go 
to  stand  my  guard  fand 
always  with  my  Ecole 
de  Bataillon  in  my 
pocket,  so  as  to  learn 
the  manoeuvres  belong- 
ing to  my  rank).  I 
overcame  all  difficulties 
in  the  use  of  arms.  The 
Emperor  issued  an  or- 
der that  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  corporals  should 
be  drilled  alone  with  the  aid  of  poles  to  represent  the  sections. 
To  form  a  platoon,  the  platoon-leader  took  hold  of  both  ends 
of  the  pole ;  to  break,  the  corporal  again  took  hold  of  the 
end  of  the  pole.  This  was  called  the  "pole-drill ;"  it  was  a 
means  of  resting  the  "  grumblers."  M.  Belcourt  commanded 
us,  and  we  made  rapid  progress  as  we  walked  rapidly  up 
and  down  the  fine  courtyard  of  the  barracks  of  Courbevoie. 
With  a  hundred  men  we  went  through  all  the  principal 
manoeuvres  of  a  whole  regiment. 


"  I  went  back  to  my  studies  in  writing  and  tactics,  working  unceasingly 
for  the  next  six  months."  —  l';»ge  180. 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  187 

The  Emperor  ordered  us  to  form  a  square ;  after  our  going 
through  this  manoeuvre  for  an  hour  he  was  quite  satisfied, 
and  ordered  that  we  should,  in  the  future,  only  go  through  it 
once  a  week.  All  the  sergeants  and  corporals  had  to  take 
command.  When  my  turn  came,  I  was  delighted  to  be  able 
to  show  my  superiors  the  progress  I  had  made.  They  watched 
me  closely  to  see  if  I  would  make  any  mistake.  While  we 
were  resting,  all  my  comrades  congratulated  me,  and  my  supe- 
riors showed  that  they  were  very  well  pleased  with  me.  But 
though  the  Emperor  was  pleased  with  us,  we  were  not  pleased 
with  him.  A  report  was  circulated  among  the  guard  that  he 
was  about  to  divorce  his  wife,  and  marry  an  Austrian  princess 
to  make  up  for  the  second  war  with  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
and  that  he  was  anxious  to  have  an  heir  to  the  throne.  In 
order  to  do  this,  he  would  be  obliged  to  send  away  this 
accomplished  woman,  and  take  a  foreigner,  who  would  be  able 
to  bring  about  a  general  peace.  The  Emperor  held  grand 
reviews  to  distract  him  from  his  troubles.  We  were  told  that 
Prince  Berthier  was  going  to  Vienna  to  carry  the  portrait  of 
our  Emperor  to  the  princess,  and  ask  for  her  hand. 

Great  preparations  were  made  for  the  reception  of  this  new 
Empress.  On  the  15th  her  whole  family  accompanied  her  a 
long  way  out  of  Vienna.  She  showed  signs  of  regret  at  leav- 
ing her  dog  and  her  parrot,  and  orders  were  issued  at  once  to 
have  them  sent  to  St.  Cloud,  where,  on  her  arrival,  she  was 
surprised  to  find  her  bird-cage  and  birds,  her  dog,  who  greeted 
his  mistress,  and  her  parrot,  who  called  her  by  name. 

Our  first  battalion  was  ordered  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
Emperor  at  St.  Cloud.  The  couriers  arrived,  and  we  were  put 
under  arms.  We  saw  that  splendid  carriage  drawn  by  eight 
horses,  and  the  Emperor  seated  beside  his  betrothed.  How 
happy  he  looked !  They  went  slowly  on  to  St.  Cloud,  and  we 
had  time  to  see  all  the  fine  equipages  pass.  The  civil  mar- 
riage took  place  at  St.  Cloud,  and  the  next  day  they  left  there 
to  make  their  entrance  into  the  capital.  We  were  ordered  to 
be  present  at  the  grand  ceremony  of  the  religious  marriage, 
which  was  celebrated  on  the  5th  of  April,  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Louvre.    It  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  all  the  grand  prep- 


188       THE  NARRATIVE    OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

arations.  In  the  great  gallery  of  the  Louvre,  leading  from  the 
old  Louvre  to  the  chapel  which  is  at  the  end  of  the  pavilion 
of  the  Tuileries  on  the  side  next  the  Pont-Royal  (the  space  is 
immense),  there  were  three  rows  of  benches  to  seat  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  In  the  fourth  row  were  fifty  non-commissioned, 
decorated  officers  placed  at  certain  distances  from  each  other 
in  iron  gratings,  so  as  not  to  be  pushed  aside  by  any  one. 
General  Dorsenne  commanded  us.    When  he  had  stationed  us 


all,  he  told  the  ladies  that  we  were  to 
serve  as  their  knights,  and  have  re- 
freshments brought  to  them.  We  had 
to  be  introduced.  We  each  had  to 
take  charge  of  twenty-four  on  each 
side  of  us  (forty-eight  to  each  non- 
commissioned officer),  and  attend  to  all  their  wants.  Large 
niches  had  been  made  in  the  thick  wall  to  hold  ninety-six 
canteens  of  all  sorts  of  pleasant  refreshments.  These  little 
itinerant  cafes  did  a  good  business. 

The  dresses  of  the  ladies  were  as  follows :  Low  in  the 
neck ;  behind,  almost  down  to  the  middle  of  their  backs,  and 
in  front  showing  half  of  their  breasts ;  their  shoulders  and 
arms  bare.     And  such  necklaces  and  bracelets  and  ear-rings  ! 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  189 

They  were  covered  with  rubies  and  pearls  and  diamonds. 
Here  could  be  seen  all  sorts  of  skins :  oily  skins,  skins  like 
mulattoes,  yellow  skins,  and  skins  like  satin.  The  old  women 
carried  salt-boxes  1  containing  a  supply  of  perfumes.  I  must 
say  that  I  had  never  before  seen  the  ladies  of  Paris,  half 
naked,  so  near.     I  did  not  like  it. 

The  men  were  dressed  in  French  fashion,  all  wearing  the 
same  costume  :  black  coat,  short  breeches,  steel  buttons  cut 
in  the  shape  of  a  diamond.  The  trimming  of  their  coats  cost 
eighteen  hundred  francs.  They  could  not  present  themselves 
at  court  without  this  costume.  Cabs  being  forbidden  that 
day,  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  the  number  of  splendid  equi- 
pages in  front  of  the  Tuileries.  The  magnificent  procession 
started  from  the  chateau,  and  moved  on  to  the  Louvre,  then 
mounted  the  grand  stairway  of  the  Louvre,  and  entered  the 
chapel  of  the  Tuileries.  The  ceremony  was  very  imposing.  The 
whole  assembly  remained  standing,  and  the  most  solemn 
silence  prevailed.  The  procession  moved  slowly.  As  soon  as  it 
had  passed  by,  General  Dorsenne  called  us  together,  marched 
us  into  the  chapel,  and  formed  us  into  a  circle.  We  saw  the 
Emperor  on  the  right,  kneeling  upon  a  cushion  decorated  with 
bees,  and  his  wife  kneeling  beside  him  to  receive  the  benedic- 
tion. After  having  placed  the  crown  on  his  own  head  and  on 
that  of  his  wife,  he  rose,  and  sat  down  with  her  on  a  lounge. 
Then  the  celebration  of  mass  was  begun,  chanted  by  the  Pope. 

The  general  made  a  sign  to  us  to  go  out  and  return  to  our 
posts,  and  there  we  saw  the  procession  return.  The  new 
Empress  looked  beautiful  with  her  splendid  diadem.  The 
wives  of  our  marshals  carried  the  train  of  her  robe,  which 
dragged  about  eight  or  ten  feet  upon  the  ground.  She  ought 
to  have  been  proud  to  have  such  maids  of  honor  in  her  suite. 
But  it  must  be  said  that  she  was  a  beautiful  sultana,  that  the 
Emperor  looked  very  well  pleased,  and  that  her  figure  was 
graceful.  That  was  a  high  day  for  her,  but  not  so  at  Mal- 
maison. 

All  the  old  guard  was  under  arms  to  protect  the  cortege, 
and    we    were   all    excessively   hungry.      We   each   received 

1  Coignet  means  the  flask  of  salts,  which  it  mi  then  tin-  fashion  to  snulL 


190       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

twenty-five  sous  and  a  litre  of  wine.  After  the  festivities 
were  over,  the  Emperor  went  away  with  Maria  Louisa.  On 
the  1st  of  June  they  re-entered  Paris.  The  city  gave  them  a 
reception  and  a  splendid  banquet  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  I 
was  put  on  duty  in  command  of  a  squad  of  twenty  men  inside 
the  building,  in  front  of  the  beautiful  horseshoe-shaped  table, 
and  my  twenty  grenadiers,  with  arms  grounded,  in  sight  of 
this  banquet  of  cold  meats,  served  in  dishes  of  solid  gold. 
Around  the  horseshoe  table  were  placed  arm-chairs ;  the 
largest  one  in  the  middle  was  for  the  Emperor.  The  royal 
party  was  announced.  The  general  came  to  station  me  and 
give  me  his  orders. 

Then  the  master  of  ceremonies  announced,  "The  Emperor!" 
and  he  entered  followed  by  his  wife  and  five  other  crowned 
heads.  I  ordered  carry  and  present  arms ;  then  I  was  ordered 
to  make  them  ground  arms.  I  stood  in  front  of  my  squad, 
facing  the  Emperor.  He  seated  himself  at  the  table,  and  made 
a  sign  to  the  others  to  take  their  places  on  each  side  of  him. 
When  the  crowned  heads  were  seated,  the  table  was  cleared ; 
every  dish  was  taken  up,  and  carried  off.  The  carvers  did 
their  work  in  a  side  room.  Behind  each  king  and  queen  there 
were  three  footmen  about  a  step  from  one  another.  There 
were  others  who  held  communication  with  the  carvers,  and 
passed  the  plates,  without  turning  more  than  half-way  round 
to  get  them.  When  a  plate  came  within  reach  of  a  sovereign, 
the  head  footman  presented  it  to  him,  and,  if  the  sovereign 
shook  his  head,  the  plate  disappeared;  another  plate  was 
brought  immediately.  If  the  head  did  not  move,  the  footman 
placed  the  plate  in  front  of  his  master.  How  well  those 
meats  were  carved ! 

Each  one  took  his  piece  of  bread,  broke  it,  and  bit  it  in  the 
same  manner,  making  no  use  whatever  of  his  knife,  and,  after 
each  mouthful,  wiped  his  mouth  with  a  napkin ;  the  napkin 
then  disappeared,  and  the  footman  slipped  in  another.  Con- 
sequently, in  this  way,  there  was  a  pile  of  napkins  behind  each 
chair  which  had  only  been  used  once. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken.  Each  person  had  a  flagon  of  wine 
and  water,   and  no  one   poured   out  wine  for  his  neighbor. 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  191 

They  ate  their  bread,  and  poured  out  something  to  drink  to 
suit  themselves.  They  either  accepted  or  refused  by  a  shake 
of  the  head.  No  one  was  permitted  to  speak  except  when 
addressed  by  the  sovereign  master.  That  may  be  imposing, 
but  it  is  not  at  all  jolly. 

The  Emperor  rose.  I  made  my  grenadiers  carry  and  present 
arms,  and  then  they  all  passed  into  the  great  hall.  1  remained 
standing  near  the  splendid  table.  The  general  came  up  to  me, 
and  took  me  by  the  arm :  "  Sergeant,  come  with  us,  I  want 
you  to  drink  some  of  the  Emperor's  wine,  and,  as  we  go  by,  I 
will  have  some  wine  given  to  your  twenty  men.  Stay  here. 
I  will  go  and  tell  your  squad  to  have  patience,  and  they  shall 
be  refreshed  in  their  turn."  Those  two  glasses  of  wine  did 
me  good,  and  my  grenadiers  each  had  a  half-litre  of  it.  How 
proud  we  were  at  having  drunk  the  Emperor's  wine ! 

After  a  few  days  of  repose,  the  old  guard  gave  a  brilliant 
reception  to  the  Emperor  in  the  Champ  de  Mars.  The  whole 
court  was  present.  We  went  through  the  manoeuvres  for 
their  benefit,  and,  in  the  evening,  by  torchlight,  we  shot  off 
blank  cartridges  of  all  colors.  After  firing  into  the  air  by 
platoon  and  battalion,  we  formed  a  square  in  front  of  the 
balcony  of  the  Ecole  Militaire,  where  the  court  was  assembled 
to  look  at  us.  At  the  given  signal,  this  immense  square  began 
to  fire  by  file  into  the  air.  Never  were  such  baskets  of  flow- 
ers seen  before.  The  guard  was  crowned  with  stars.  Every- 
body clapped  their  hands.  I  must  say,  it  was  a  magnificent 
sight. 

The  Emperor  gave  a  splendid  ball;  he  opened  it  himself 
with  Maria  Louisa.  There  never  was  seen  a  better  formed 
man.  He  really  was  a  perfect  model :  his  hands  and  feet 
were  unequalled  for  beauty.  Maria  Louisa  was  a  first-rate 
billiard-player.  She  beat  all  the  men ;  but  she  was  not  afraid 
to  stretch  herself  out  across  the  billiard-table,  as  the  men  did, 
when  she  wanted  to  make  a  stroke.  I  was  always  on  the 
watch  to  get  a  chance  to  see  her.  She  was  frequently 
applauded.  Duty  at  St.  Cloud  was  irksome  to  us.  We  had  to 
go  back  and  forth  from  Courbevoie  to  St.  Cloud,  and  the 
chasseurs  came  from  Rueil  to  relieve  us.     We  were  well  fed, 


192       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

however,  and  the  sergeant  had  a  table  to  himself.  We  had 
soup,  bouillon,  good  chicken-salad,  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  The 
officer  ate  with  the  officers  of  the  household. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1810,  great  preparations  were 
made  to  go  to  Fontainebleau.  The  hunting  season  had  come, 
and  the  first  battalion,  to  which  I  belonged,  was  ordered  to 
set  out  for  duty  there.  M.  Belcourt,  the  adjutant-major,  fol- 
lowed the  battalion.  We  were  put  into  barracks,  and  the 
whole  court  came  out  in  splendid  hunting  carriages.  There 
were  four  open  carriages  with  horses  all  alike,  and  a  relay  of 
horses  of  another  color.  It  was  a  magnificent  sight.  M.  Belcourt 
was  ordered  to  take  out  for  the  hunt  twelve  non-commissioned 
officers  and  corporals,  who  should  be  under  the  direction  of  a 
game-keeper,  and  stationed  by  fours  in  certain  appointed 
places.  On  arriving  at  the  rendezvous,  we  were  stationed  at 
our  posts  in  a  beautiful  circle,  well  gravelled,  and  into  which 
several  walks  led.  There  was  here  a  beautiful  tent  with  a 
table  ready  served,  and  footmen  standing  around  it.  The  whole 
court  sat  down  to  the  table  before  going  on  the  hunt. 

That  day  hoops  were  brought  out  (with  a  man  inside  of  each 
hoop)  with  falcons  perched  all  around  on  them.  Maria  Louisa 
took  one  of  these  birds,  and  sent  it  out  on  the  first  game  that 
came  in  sight.  The  bird  swooped  down  upon  it  like  light- 
ning, and  brought  it  to  Maria  Louisa.  This  hunt,  a  very 
entertaining  one,  lasted  a  whole  hour :  then  the  open  car- 
riages started  off  at  a  gallop  for  a  place  where  the  peasants 
were  to  whip  the  bushes  with  poles,  in  a  large  garden  filled 
with  rabbits  which  could  not  get  out.  The  Emperor  had  a 
great  many  guns  ready  loaded ;  he  gave  the  signal,  and  the 
peasants  beat  the  bushes,  and  crowds  of  them  jumped  out.  Then 
the  Emperor  began  to  shoot.  He  fired  rapid  shots,  one  after 
the  other.  Then  he  said  to  his  aides-de-camp,  "  Come,  gentle- 
men, it  is  your  turn  now  !  Take  some  guns,  and  amuse  your- 
selves." And  soon  the  ground  was  covered  with  victims. 
He  had  the  guards  called  up,  and  said  to  our  adjutant-major, 
"Have  this  game  picked  up,  and  give  a  rabbit  to  each  peasant, 
and  four  to  each  of  the  guard.  Put  the  rest  in  the  wagon,  and 
have  them   distributed   to  my  old  '  grumblers '  (there  was  a 


SIXTH   NOTE-BOOK. 


193 


wagon  full  of  them).  To-morrow  you  shall  lead  them  on  a  wild- 
boar  hunt;  you  shall  have  provisions  to  take  with  you,  and 
spend  the  whole  day  in  the  forest.''  The  adjutant-major 
gave  his  orders,  and  we  all  started  off.  This  was  the  first 
day's  hunt,  and  the  whole  battalion  had  rabbit  to  eat. 

The  next  day  four  wagons  arrived :  one  for  the  provisions, 
two  for  the  great  Russian  dogs,  and  one  in  which  to  put  the 
boars  alive.     With  the  huntsmen,  the  grooms  for  the  dogs 


rjri 


'p^t 


and  the  game-keepers,  there  were  fifty  of  us  who  started  out, 
besides  our  adjutant-major.  When  we  came  near  to  the  place 
where  this  herd  of  wild  boars  had  their  lair,  we  dismissed 
the  carriages,  and  coupled  up  the  dogs.  There  was  a  physi- 
cian along,  too,  to  attend  to  the  dogs  which  should  be  wounded 
in  the  terrible  fight  in  which  they  were  about  to  engage. 
"  First,"  said  the  huntsmen,  "  we  must  eat ;  we  shall  not  have 
time  for  it  later."  And  a  footman  was  there,  with  his  napkin 
on  his  arm,  to  wait  upon  the  adjutant-major  and  the  physician. 


194       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

We  all  made  a  hearty  dinner,  and,  as  soon  as  we  had  finished, 
we  set  out  for  the  field  of  battle.  And  the  footmen  each  led 
two  of  those  great  long  dogs. 

They  roused  up  some  boars,  and  six  dogs  started  off  after 
each  furious  animal.  Three  boars  were  soon  down,  and  unable 
to  move.  Two  dogs  took  each  boar  by  the  ears,  and  locked 
themselves  together  around  his  body,  holding  him  so  tightly 
that  he  could  not  move.  Then  the  guards  came  up  with  a  gag, 
and  put  a  strong  bit  into  his  mouth  before  he  could  defend  him- 
self. His  four  feet  were  tied  together  with  a  slip-knot,  and  the 
dogs  were  unmuzzled,  and  started  off  again  upon  the  herd,  fol- 
lowed by  the  grooms  who  had  charge  of  them.  The  prisoners 
were  taken  to  the  wagons ;  the  door  at  the  back  of  the  wagons 
was  opened  ;  the  boars'  trammels  were  taken  off,  and  they  fell 
down  into  the  deep  wagons. 

We  captured  the  whole  herd  of  fourteen  that  day,  and  the 
wagon  was  full.  Two  of  our  dogs  were  wounded  by  blows  of 
their  tusks.  We  were  very  hungry  after  these  hunts  in  the 
depths  of  the  forest.  The  Emperor  was  dc  lighted  with  such 
a  hunt.  He  had  an  enclosure  prepared  on  the  road  to  Paris, 
where  these  animals  were  kept  alive.  It  was  round,  and  the 
walls  high  and  solid.  The  wagon  was  backed  up  to  a  door 
cut  in  the  wall,  and  the  furious  animals  were  thus  dropped 
into  the  enclosure.  This  was  our  second  hunt,  and  it  lasted 
a  forfnight.     We  captured  fifty  boars  and  two  wolves  alive. 

Inside  of  this  enclosure,  an  amphitheatre  had  been  con- 
structed upon  piling,  and  arm-chairs  were  placed  all  round  it, 
sufficient  in  number  to  seat  the  whole  court.  A  slight  descent 
brought  one  to  the  middle  of  the  enclosure,  under  a  beautiful 
tent.  Sentinels  were  stationed  to  prevent  any  one's  approach- 
ing. The  court  arrived  at  two  o'clock.  They  had  to  climb 
up  in  the  top  of  the  pine-trees  to  see  the  angry  creatures  leap 
upon  the  palisades.  The  Emperor  fired  first.  He  did  not  fire 
at  any  of  the  wolves ;  they  were  left  for  the  last,  and  leaped 
up  quite  to  the  top  of  the  palisades.  The  Emperor  allowed 
the  chief  officers  of  his  court  to  finish  up  the  game,  and  all 
the  boars  were  divided  among  his  guard.  We  had  a  fine  feast, 
and  he  reserved  three  of  the  largest  for  himself. 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  195 

Afterwards  he  gave  orders  to  his  guards  to  go  and  find  out 
the  number  of  the  stags,  and  the  age  of  each,  and  report  them 
to  him.  At  the  end  of  two  days  the  number  had  been  ascer- 
tained. The  ages  were  told  by  their  feet.  The  day  before 
this  great  hunt,  he  sent  out  some  of  the  guard  and  the  dog 
grooms,  who  had  in  charge  two  big  bloodhounds  in  leashes, 
which  were  to  scent  stag  number  one.  The  haunt  of  this 
animal  was  discovered  by  the  tracks  he  had  made  during  the 
night.  The  guard  then  took  hold  of  the  bloodhound,  and 
made  it  smell  the  footprints  of  the  stag  which  was  to  be 
hunted  the  next  day.  This  animal,  held  in  a  leash,  was  led 
slowly  forward  by  the  guardsman,  and,  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  haunt,  he  raised  his  forepaw  in  the  air  as  if  to 
spring  upon  his  prey  •  but  the  guardsman  held  him  back.  All 
this  was  done  without  any  noise.  The  situation  of  the  haunt 
was  marked,  and  a  report  of  it  made  to  the  Emperor,  as  the 
rendezvous  for  the  court.  Orders  were  issued  lor  open  car- 
riages and  relays  of  horses.  There  were  fifty -two  dogs  in  four 
relays,  thirteen  to  each  relay,  and  the  bloodhound,  which  was 
the  leader  of  the  whole  pack.  One  dog  in  each  pack  of 
thirteen  led  the  other  twelve.  As  soon  as  the  bloodhound 
started  a  stag,  this  leader  followed  his  footprints,  and  never 
turned  aside  from  them ;  and  the  twelve  other  dogs  marched 
in  line  of  battle  on  each  side  of  him. 

The  Emperor  ordered  M.  Belcourt  to  take  out  twenty-four 
men  (sergeants  and  corporals),  and  station  them  at  the  three 
points  designated  for  the  relays  of  carriages.  Before  begin- 
ning the  hunt,  the  whole  court  sat  down  to  a  table  served  in 
a  nicely  gravelled  piece  of  ground,  and,  after  the  banquet  was 
over,  the  open  carriages  came  up.  Every  one  mounted  on 
horseback,  and  the  stag  started.  The  Emperor  galloped  off 
to  the  place  where  the  stag  would  pass,  followed  by  musket- 
bearers  carrying  guns.  There  he  waited  for  the  stag  to  pass, 
and,  if  he  missed  it,  he  started  off  again,  like  lightning,  for 
another  crossing-point. 

After  the  second  relay  departed,  in  a  little  while,  the  hunt 
was  carried  on  at  a  great  distance  from  us.  We  stood  silently 
at  our  posts.      The  major  saiil   to  me,  "You  hud   better  go 


196       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

through  the  drill,  and  let  out  your  voice.  Order  them  to  form 
a  square  by  division  as  you  march,  and  do  so  with  the  fewest 
manoeuvres."  I  began,  "Form  a  square  on  the  second 
division  as  you  are  marching :  first  division,  by  the  left 
flank  and  by  right  file ;  third  division,  by  the  right  flank 
and  by  left  file ;  fourth  division,  by  the  left  flank  by  left 
file  !  Quick  time  !  Second  division,  slow  time  !  "  I  had 
made  a  mistake  which  I  could  not  repair,  and  the  major 
said  to  me,  "  You  are  in  too  much  of  a  hurry ;  you  are  too 
much  excited.  Order  your  square  to  deploy.  Now,  do  not 
hurry  ! "  But  the  Emperor  had  heard  me  from  the  spot  where 
he  was  waiting  for  the  deer ;  he  did  not  forget  one  of  my 
blunders.  He  shot  the  stag,  and  the  hunting  horns  sounded 
a  rally.  All  the  open  carriages  came  up  to  the  rendezvous. 
The  Emperor,  well  pleased,  had  dismounted,  and  was  stand- 
ing beside  the  splendid  stag.  When  the  whole  court  had 
gathered  together,  he  had  us  called  up,  and  said  to  our  major, 
"  Who  was  that  commanding  the  drill  in  the  forest  ?  Send 
him  here;  I  want  to  see  him." 

The  major  ordered  me  to  leave  the  ranks,  and  presented 
me.  "  Was  it  you,  then,"  said  he,  "  who  were  making  the 
forest  resound  ?  You  command  very  well,  but  you  made  a 
mistake."  —  "  Yes,  sire,  I  forgot  '  quick  time.'  "  —  "  That  is 
right.  Pay  attention  next  time."  The  major  said  to  him, 
"He  beat  his  head  with  his  fist."  The  Emperor  replied, 
"Make  him  the  instructor  of  two  regiments.  Let  him  be 
assisted  by  two  well-drilled  corporals.  You  will  take  fifty  of 
the  oldest  recruits,  and  drill  them  twice  a  day ;  push  them 
forward  in  tactics,  and,  in  two  months,  I  will  see  them.  See 
that  they  are  strong  and  capable  of  serving  as  officers."  M. 
Belcourt  came  up  to  us :  "  Well,  he  has  set  us  a  task.  We 
shall  be  confined  for  two  months ;  but  there  is  no  need  to 
throw  yourself  to  the  devil ;  you  will  come  out  all  right  in  the 
end.  Are  you  satisfied  ?  "  said  he.  —  "I  shall  always  remem- 
ber the  forest  of  Fontainebleau." 

That  evening,  the  quarry  of  the  stag  was  held  by  torch- 
light in  the  court  of  honor,  which  was  furnished  with  fine 
balconies,   from  which   all   the  court   looked  on.      It  was  a 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


197 


magnificent  sight,  that  pack  of  two  hundred  dogs  in  line  of 
battle  behind  a  row  of  grooms,  who  held  them,  whip  in  hand. 
At  the  given  signal,  the  man  tore  the  skin  from  the  stag ;  the 
horns  sounded  the  pillage,  and  they  all  sprang  upon  their 
prey.  Those  two  hundred  famished  creatures  formed  a 
mound,  they  were  so  piled  up  on  one  another. 

At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  the  hunts  were  over,  the  court 
returned  to  Paris,  and  we  to  Courbevoie.  The  barracks  con- 
tained three  battalions.     Each  month  a  battalion  took  its  turn 


to  go  on  duty  in  Paris.  And  hard  duty  it  was :  eight  hours 
on  guard,  two  hours  on  patrol,  and  the  grand  rounds  at  night. 
The  adjutant-major  reported  to  General  Dorsenne  that  the 
Emperor  had  appointed  me  instructor  of  two  regiments  of 
grenadiers,  and  I  entered  upon  the  duties  at  once.  But  this 
was  not  all.  In  the  mornings  those  under  arrest  had  to  take 
brooms  and  sweep  out  the  gutters,  and  then  wash  them  down, 
and,  worst  of  all,  they  were  obliged  to  wash  out  the  privies. 
As  there  was  a  bed  of  sand  near  the  grating,  if  I  had  to  punish 
many  men,  I  made  them  haul  sand,  and  they  liked  it  better 
than  going  on  drill.     I  went  out  with  twenty  or  thirty  of  my 


198       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

men,  and  put  them  to  work.  Some  dug  up  the  sand,  some 
rolled  the  wheelbarrows,  others  the  tumbrel-carts,  and  so  all 
the  sand  was  carried  into  the  courtyard.  All  this  was  done 
without  a  murmur.  And  even  if  I  set  them  to  pulling  up 
grass,  they  grumbled  a  little,  but  they  did  it.  I  varied  their 
punishments  as  much  as  I  could.  Those  veterans  were 
obedient  enough  considering  they  were  men  who  were  being 
turned  out  of  the  regiments,  from  the  ranks  of  sergeant  and 
even  sergeant-major,  and  returned  to  the  rank  of  simple  grena- 
dier. I  had  great  trouble  in  managing  some  of  the  hard 
heads  ;  but  they  would  finally  yield.  I  had  the  knack  of 
controlling.  All  this  took  place  within  sight  of  the  officers 
of  the  week,  and  I  was  firmly  upheld  by  the  two  adjutants- 
major,  who  approved  of  strict  discipline.  It  was  in  front  of 
the  officers'  pavilion,  and  they  could  see  all  their  movements. 
They  had  their  boarding-house  in  our  barracks,  and  passed 
from  that  into  their  garden.  They  sent  for  me  to  show  me 
the  plan  of  a  large  pleasure-ground,  which  they  wanted  to 
have  prepared  by  the  men  under  arrest.  "  We  will  give  each 
of  them,"  said  those  gentlemen,  "  a  bottle  of  wine,  if  you  will 
undertake  to  direct  them."  —  "  I  will  do  so,  very  gladly."  — 
"  All  right.  We  will  go  and  draw  a  line  on  the  terrace,  and 
mark  the  places  for  some  holes,  where  we  wish  to  plant  some 
acacias,  forming  two  quincunxes  in  front  of  the  barracks,  and 
one  on  each  side  of  the  grating.  Go  call  the  roll  of  your 
prisoners,  and  tell  them  to  be  ready  for  this  to-morrow." 

After  roll-call,  I  said  to  them,  "  You  are  not  to  drill  any 
more;  you  are  to  plant  trees  to  give  you  shade."  —  "Hurrah 
for  our  sergeant !  that  will  be  fun."  —  "  You  will  not  get  tired. 
I  will  put  four  of  you  to  dig  each  hole,  and  you  shall  have  two 
hours  to  do  it."  —  "  We  are  satisfied."  —  " Go  and  rest;  at  six 
o'clock  there  will  be  a  roll-call  for  the  prisoners.  One-half  of 
you  will  do  the  sweeping,  and  the  others  will  dig  the  holes." 

The  officers  ordered  a  whole  tun  of  Suresnes  wine,  which 
did  not  cost  them  ten  cents  a  bottle,  and  gave  a  bottle  of  it  to 
each  man.  All  went  right  forward,  the  holes  and  the  groups 
of  trees;  and  the  beautiful  plantation  of  eight  thousand  seven 
hundred  trees  and  shrubs  was  set  out  b}'  the  men  under  arrest. 


"The  Marshal  said  to  the  niaid-of-honor,  'Give  the  prince  to  this  ser- 
geant.'"—Page  201. 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  199 

It  was  complimented  by  my  officers,  and  they  appointed  me 
to  take  charge  of  the  non-commissioned  officers'  boarding- 
house.  This  was  a  laborious  task,  to  see  that  the  meals  of 
fifty-four  non-commissioned  officers  were  well  prepared  and 
served.  I  was  paid  in  advance.  This  brought  me  the  sum  of 
forty-five  francs  seventy  centimes  a  day.  The  extras  super- 
added each  day  were :  first,  bread  (8fr.  10c.)  ;  wine  (8fr.  10c.) ; 
dishes  furnished  from  outside  of  the  refectory  (3fr.)  ;  wood 
(lfr.).  On  Sunday  we  went  to  Paris ;  this  made  21fr.  20c.  in 
addition  to  the  45fr.  70c,  making  66fr.  90c.  which  I  had  to 
expend  every  day.  I  did  it  all,  however,  and  they  were 
pleased.  At  the  end  of  a  month,  I  showed  my  expenditures 
to  the  sergeant-major.  "  Why,"  said  he,  "you  must  be  in  debt." 
—  "  No,  indeed,  I  have  an  extra  allowance  of  21fr.  20c.  a  day, 
which,  added  to  my  45fr.  70c,  makes  66fr.  90c"  —  "  But  what 
do  you  get?"— "I?  I  have  64fr.  50c  a  month.  That  is 
enough.  With  the  extras  for  three  days,  I  pay  my  head  man 
and  two  assistants ;  so  don't  worry,  the  boarding-house  will 
get  along." 

The  sergeants  said  at  dinner,  "You  must  be  prompt  in 
bringing  on  our  meals.  Give  each  of  us  a  bottle  of  wine  ;  the 
extras  will  be  yours."  — "  Be  prompt  in  seating  yourselves 
at  the  table,  four  at  a  time.  You  shall  be  served  at  the 
appointed  hour  sharp,  and  I  will  see  that  your  meals  are  well 
served." 

The  council  (of  administration)  placed  at  my  disposal  a 
pleasure  carriage  and  a  soldier  belonging  to  the  train,  so  that 
I  might  send  to  Paris  for  provisions,  and  also  four  men  for 
especial  duty,  and  a  corporal  for  the  company.  At  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  I  went  with  this  detachment  to  Paris,  carrying 
a  memorandum  from  my  chief  cook,  and  the  purchases  for  the 
week  were  considerable.  I  paid  five  francs  for  the  break- 
fast for  my  four  men,  and  they  were  satisfied.  At  nine 
o'clock  and  at  four  I  had  to  be  on  hand  to  preside  over  the 
meals.  On  Sunday  there  was  an  inspection  of  the  refectory 
by  the  colonel  or  the  general.  The  covers  were  laid  with 
clean  white  napkins,  and  1  received  the  commendation  of  my 
officers  and  even  of  General  Dorsenne,  before  whom  every 
one  in  the  barracks  trembled. 


200       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

I  have  already  said  that,  when  this  strict  man  went  through 
our  rooms,  he  passed  his  finger  along  the  bread-shelves.  If 
he  found  a  speck  of  dust,  the  corporal,  or  the  head  man  in 
charge  of  the  rooms,  was  put  under  arrest  for  four  days.  He 
also  ran  his  hand  under  our  beds.  And  in  our  trunks  he  was 
never  to  find  any  soiled  linen.  He  was  a  model  in  his  own 
dress ;  he  even  rivalled  Murat. 

I  was  always  ready  to  receive  him,  —  always  on  the  lookout, 
and  never  surprised.  Once,  however,  I  just  missed  receiving 
a  severe  scolding.  We  had  saved  up  something  on  the  food  for 
the  week,  and  it  had  been  decided  that  we  would  buy  some 
braudy  with  the  amount  saved.  Well,  in  order  that  General 
Dorsenne's  attention  should  not  be  attracted  to  the  entry,  I 
put  it  down  in  my  account  as  "  vegetable  sundries,"  so  much. 
The  indefatigable  general  happened  to  light  upon  that  very 
entry.  "  What  is  this  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Vegetable  sundries," 
I  stammered,  and  finally  acknowledged  our  peccadillo.  At 
first  he  tried  to  be  angry;  but,  seeing  my  confusion,  and 
realizing  our  little  strategy,  he  began  to  laugh.  "  This  time," 
said  he,  "  I  pardon  you ;  but  I  do  not  approve  of  your  econo- 
mizing on  food  in  order  to  buy  liquors." 

I  had  a  great  deal  to  do  :  to  exercise  the  prisoners,  drill 
fifty  recruits,  and  carry  on  my  refectory.  Every  hour  was 
occupied.  By  being  very  industrious,  I  proved  myself  worthy 
of  my  captain's  good  opinion.  I  can  truly  say  that  I  owe  to 
him  whatever  I  may  have  won  in  the  field  of  honor.  Thus 
ended  the  year  1810. 

In  1811  we  had  cause  for  great  rejoicing.  On  the  20th  of 
March  a  courier  came  to  our  barracks  to  announce  the  safe 
delivery  of  our  Empress,  and  said  that  the  cannons  were 
about  to  fire.  We  were  all  excitement.  As  the  first  reports 
sounded  from  the  Invalides,  we  counted  in  silence,  but  when 
we  heard  the  twenty-second  and  twenty-third  report,  we 
leaped  for  joy,  and  all  shouted  at  once,  '-'Long  live  the 
Emperor ! "  The  King  of  Rome  was  baptized  on  the  9th  of 
June.  We  had  holiday  and  fireworks.  This  darling  child 
was  always  accompanied  by  the  governor  of  the  palace,  when- 
ever he  went  out  to  take  the  air,  with  his  handsome  nurse,  and 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  201 

a  lady  who  carried  him.  One  day  when  I  was  at  the  palace 
of  St.  Cloud,  Marshal  Duroc,  who  was  with  me,  signalled  to  me 
to  approach,  and  this  dear  child  held  out  his  little  hands  for 
my  plume.  I  stooped,  and  he  began  to  pull  at  my  plumes. 
The  marshal  said,  "  Let  him  do  it."  The  child  laughed  with 
delight ;  but  my  plume  was  sacrificed.  I  looked  a  little  upset. 
The  marshal  said  to  me,  "  Give  it  to  him.  I  will  give  you 
another."  The  maid  of  honor  and  the  nurse  were  much 
amused.  The  marshal  said  to  the  maid  of  honor,  "  Give  the 
prince  to  this  sergeant,  and  let  him  take  him  in  his  arms." 
Good  Lord !  how  eagerly  I  stretched  out  my  arms  to  receive 
that  precious  burden !  Every  one  surrounded  me.  "  Well," 
said  M.  Duroc  to  me,  "  is  he  heavy  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  general."  — 
"  Come,  walk  him  about;  you  are  strong  enough  to  carry  him." 
I  walked  about  with  him  awhile  on  the  terrace.  The  child 
pulled  away  at  my  plumes,  and  paid  no  attention  to  me.  His 
robes  hung  down  very  low,  and  I  was  afraid  of  stumbling ; 
but  I  was  proud  to  carry  such  a  baby.  I  handed  him  back  to 
the  maid  of  honor,  who  thanked  me,  and  the  marshal  said 
to  me,  "Come  to  my  office  an  hour  later."  Accordingly,  I 
appeared  before  the  marshal,  who  gave  me  an  order  upon  a 
merchant  for  a  handsome  plume.  "  Is  this  the  only  one  you 
have  ?  "  said  he.  "  Yes,  general."  —  "I  will  give  you  an 
order  for  two."  —  "Thank  you,  general."  —  "You  can  go,  my 
brave  fellow ;  now  you  will  have  one  for  Sundays." 

Meeting  some  of  my  officers,  they  said  to  me,  "Where  is 
your  plume  ?  "  —  "  The  King  of  Rome  took  it  away  from  me." 
—  "  Oh  !  you  are  joking."  —  "  See,  I  have  an  order  from  Mar- 
shal Duroc.  Instead  of  only  one  plume,  I  shall  have  two, 
and  I  have  held  the  King  of  Rome  in  my  arms  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  an  hour;  he  tore  up  my  plume."  —  "Happy 
mortal ! "  said  they  ;  "  such  incidents  are  never  to  be  forgotten." 
I  never  saw  the  child  again.  It  was  the  fault  of  politics, 
which  cut  him  down  in  his  youth. 

All  the  princes  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine  were 
assembled  at  Paris,  and  Prince  Charles  was  godfather  to  the 
little  Napoleon.  The  Emperor  held  a  review  for  them  after 
his  own  fashion  in  the  Place  du  Carrousel.     The  regiments 


202       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

of  infantry  came  up  through  the  Eue  de  Rivoli,  and  formed 
their  line  on  the  square,  in  front  of  the  Hotel  Cambaceres. 
The  infantry  of  the  guard  was  in  two  ranks  in  front  of  the 
Palace  of  the  Tuileries.  The  Emperor  came  down  the  steps 
at  noon,  mounted  his  horse,  reviewed  his  guard,  and,  returning, 
took  his  stand  beside  the  sun-dial.  He  called  our  adjutant- 
major  to  him,  and  said,  "Have  you  a  non-commissioned  officer 
whose  voice  is  strong  enough  to  repeat  my  commands  ?  Mou- 
ton  cannot  repeat."  —  "  Yes,  sire."  —  "  Send  him  here,  and 
let  him  repeat  word  for  word  after  me."  M.  Belcourt  sent 
me  to  him.  The  general,  the  colonel,  and  the  officers  of  the 
battalion  all  said  to  me,  "  Do  not  make  a  mistake.  Try  not 
to  remember  that  it  is  the  Emperor  who  gives  command,  and, 
above  all,  have  self-possession." 

M.  Belcourt  presented  me.  "  Sire,  here  is  the  sergeant  who 
commands  best."  —  "  Stand  here  on  my  left,  and  repeat  my 
commands."  The  task  was  not  a  difficult  one.  I  acquitted 
myself  as  well  as  possible.  At  each  command  from  the 
Emperor,  I  turned  round  to  repeat,  and  then  turned  round 
again,  facing  the  Emperor,  to  receive  another  command.  All 
the  strangers  on  the  balcony  were  watching  me.  They  saw 
a  non-commissioned  officer  with  his  gun,  receiving  commands, 
and  immediately  making  an  "  about  face  "  to  repeat  them,  so 
that  his  body  was  in  continual  motion.  All  the  officers  of 
the  corps  repeated  word  for  word,  and,  after  making  their  men 
pass  under  the  Arc  de  Triomphe,  they  drew  them  up  in  line 
of  battle  in  front  of  the  Emperor.  He  galloped  past  the 
regiment,  and  then  returned  to  his  post  to  put  it  through  the 
manoeuvres,  and  make  it  march  off.  This  infantry  drill  occu- 
pied two  hours.  The  guard  closed  up  the  march.  Then  the 
Emperor  dismissed  me,  and  my  place  was  filled  by  a  general 
of  cavalry.  It  was  high  time  ;  I  was  covered  with  perspira- 
tion. My  officers  congratulated  me  upon  my  strong  voice. 
The  sergeant-major  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  led  me  to  the 
cafe  in  the  garden  to  give  me  something  to  drink.  "  Oh  !  I 
am  so  proud  of  you,  my  dear  Coignet."  The  captain  clapped 
his  hands,  saying,  "  It  was  I  who  forced  him  to  be  a  corporal ; 
it  is  all  my  doing.     How  well  he  gives  command!" —  "Thank 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK.  203 

you,"  said  I;  "but  one  feels  very  small  beside  his  sovereign. 
I  heard  him,  but  I  could  not  look  at  him :  he  would  have 
frightened  me  ;  I  only  saw  his  horse." 

After  drinking  our  bottle  of  wine,  we  went  back  to  the 
company.  My  captain  grasped  my  hand,  and  said,  "I  am 
delighted."  I  was  overwhelmed  with  praises.  When  we  got 
back  to  Courbevoie,  my  comrades'  table  was  ready.  My  head 
cook  had  neglected  nothing,  and  the  wine  had  been  dis- 
tributed :  a  litre  and  twenty-five  sous  for  each  man ;  the  non- 
commissioned officers,  one  day's  pay  (forty -three  sous) ;  the 
corporals,  thirty-three  sous.  Every  face  looked  bright  and 
happy. 

The  next  day  I  resumed  my  tiresome  duties.  I  encouraged 
my  fifty  recruits  and  my  prisoners.  I  took  my  writing  lessons 
in  the  evening,  to  say  nothing  of  the  superintendence  of  the 
refectory,  and  the  care  of  the  cleaning  of  the  barracks.  And 
never  was  any  fault  found  with  me.  I  said  to  myself,  "  I 
have  got  my  marshal's  baton  ;  I  shall  be  the  veteran  of  the 
barracks  in  my  old  age."  But  I  was  entirely  mistaken.  I  had 
not  gone  through  half  my  career.  I  was  still  sleeping  on  a 
bed  of  roses,  and  all  the  thorns  were  yet  to  be  plucked  out. 

Some  grenadiers  arrived  to  fill  up  the  regiments,  and  take 
the  places  of  the  veterans  who  could  no  longer  go  into  the 
field.  Two  companies  were  formed  of  veterans  of  the  guard, 
who  were  delighted  to  have  such  easy  duty  to  perforin. 
Every  day  splendid-looking  men  came  in.  I  put  them  through 
the  drill,  and  the  adjutants-major  attended  to  the  tactics. 
They  pushed  the  recruits  forward  so  rapidly  that  the 
Emperor  received  them  at  the  end  of  two  months.  It  was 
charming  to  see  them  drill.  They  never  made  a  mistake,  and 
were  all  received  as  sub-lieutenants  of  the  line,  and  went  to 
join  their  regiments.  The  Emperor  asked  me,  "Do  they 
know  how  to  give  command?"  —  "Yes,  sire,  all  of  them  do." 
—  "Let  the  first  one  come  forward,  and  go  through  the  manual 
of  arms."  He  was  delighted.  "  Order  the  second  one  out," 
said  he.  "  Let  him  order  a  charge  in  twelve  time.  Very  well. 
Now,  order  out  No.  10  from  the  first  rank.  Let  him  give  the 
command  to  fire  by  two  files.  Make  them  carry  arms.  That 
will  do." 


204       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

I  was  very  glad  when  this  examination  was  over.  He  said 
to  the  adjutants-major,  "You  must  push  forward  the  new- 
comers, and  make  some  cartridges  for  the  grand  drill.  I  will 
send  you  three  tons  of  powder." 

Then  he  started  off  for  St.  Cloud.  For  a  fortnight  a 
hundred  men  were  at  work  making  cartridges,  and  the 
adjutants-major  superintended  them.  They  had  to  wear  shoes 
without  nails,  so  as  to  avoid  danger  of  accident.  Every  two 
hours  they  were  relieved,  and  their  feet  examined.  We  made  a 
hundred  thousand  packages.  As  soon  as  the  required  number 
was  made,  we  had  grand  drills  in  the  plain  of  St.  Denis  and 
reviews  at  the  Tuileries,  with  parks  of  artillery  in  considerable 
force,  and  wagons  and  ambulances.  The  Emperor  had  them 
opened,  and  got  up  on  the  wheels  to  be  sure  that  everything 
was  in  place.  Sometimes  M.  Larrey  received  a  reprimand.  The 
engineer  officers  also  trembled  before  him.  It  became  more 
apparent  every  day  that  great  preparations  for  war  were  being 
made ;  but  we  could  not  tell  against  whom  it  would  be  declared. 
But  towards  the  latter  part  of  April,  1812,  we  received  orders 
to  hold  ourselves  ready  to  march,  and  to  have  the  linen  and 
shoes  inspected.  Each  soldier  was  to  have  three  pairs  of 
shoes,  three  shirts,  and  a  dress  uniform  in  his  knapsack. 

The  day  before  the  final  review,  I  was  called  before  the 
council,  and  appointed  factor  of  the  two  regiments  of  grena- 
diers, and  to  have  charge  of  the  transportation  of  money  and 
equipages.  These  consisted  of  four  wagons:  two  for  the 
officers'  trunks,  and  two  which  were  to  be  loaded  at  the 
Treasury,  on  the  Place  Vendome.  I  was  to  show  a  letter,  of 
which  I  was  the  bearer,  and  my  two  wagons  were  to  be  loaded 
immediately  with  casks  containing  twenty-eight  thousand 
francs.  The  guard  was  kept  in  the  day  before  we  left,  and  I 
only  was  permitted  to  go  out,  so  as  to  settle  my  accounts  with 
the  butcher  and  baker.  I  returned  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  The  guard  had  started  for  Meaux  at  midnight  on 
the  1st  of  May,  1812.  An  old  sergeant,  who  was  left  at  Cour- 
bevoie  as  keeper  of  the  magazine,  received  my  accounts,  and 
handed  me  a  "  route,"  which  authorized  me  to  collect  rations 
for  eight  men  and  sixteen  horses.     At  noon  I  started  from  the 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


205 


Place  Vendome  with  my  four  wagons,  mounted  on  the  first  one, 
which  had  a  pretty  cabriolet  on  the  front  of  it.     I  sat  there, 
with  my  sabre  at  my  side,  like  a  man  of  great  importance. 
I  reached  Meaux  at  midnight,  and  went  immediately  to  the 


guard-room  to  learn  the  address  of  the  adjutant-major.  t 
was  conducted  to  his  apartment.  "  Who  is  there  ?  "  said  he. 
—  "It  is  I,  major."  —  "You,  Coignet,  is  it  possible  ?  Are 
your  wagons  all  on  the  square  ready  loaded?"  —  "Yes,  cap- 
tain."—  "You  have  Mown,  my  brave  fellow.  I  will  see  you 
to-morrow,  before  we  set  out.    Here  are  your  orders  for  rations 


206       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

of  forage  and  bread.  Take  four  men  from  the  guard-room  and 
four  soldiers  from  the  wagons ;  let  them  rouse  the  store- 
keeper. Your  billets  for  lodgings  are  on  my  mantelpiece. 
Take  them,  and  good-night."  —  "  Good-night,  captain.  I  will 
remain  all  night  in  the  guard-room.  It  will  be  three  o'clock 
by  the  time  the  horses  and  men  are  fed.  The  soldiers  belong- 
ing to  the  trains  shall  sleep  beside  their  horses,  and  I  will  be 
ready  to  start  at  seven  o'clock." 

M.  Belcourt  came  to  the  post  to  see  me,  and  assure  himself 
that  the  rations  for  the  men  and  horses  had  been  furnished. 
He  was  pleased  with  my  activity.  "  You  are  supplied  for  the 
whole  route  ;  you  can  follow  us."  —  "  If  you  will  give  me  my 
1  route/  I  will  start  every  day  two  hours  before  you  do,  and 
then  I  shall  be  able  to  go  and  collect  all  the  letters  lying  in 
the  post-offices  in  the  large  towns.  I  shall  be  waiting  for  you 
with  your  letters."  He  went  to  see  the  colonel,  who  approved 
of  my  plan.  Every  day  I  went  on  ahead  of  the  corps.  Neither 
my  men  nor  my  horses  suffered  from  the  heat.  When  we 
came  to  the  halting-places,  I  had  all  breakages  which  had 
taken  place  repaired. 

The  Emperor  had  left  for  Dresden,  accompanied  by  the 
Empress.  In  this  city  there  is  the  handsomest  royal  family 
in  Europe.  The  father  and  son  are  not  less  than  five  feet  ten 
inches  tall.  The  Emperor  remained  here  ten  days  to  have  an 
interview  with  the  kings.  After  having  given  and  received 
holy  water  in  the  courtyard,  he  bade  farewell  to  his  wife. 
Their  leave-taking  was  a  sad  one.  The  splendid  equipages 
set  out  for  Paris,  and  the  Emperor  was  left  alone  with  his 
thoughts  at  the  head  of  his  grand  army. 

We  reached  Posen  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  Koenigsberg  on 
the  12th,  where  he  established  his  headquarters.  There  we 
had  a  brief  season  of  repose,  as  he  had  gone  to  Dantzig,  where 
he  remained  four  days.  This  refreshed  the  old  guard,  who 
had  made  forced  marches.  We  received  orders  to  start  for 
Insterburg,  and,  on  the  21st  of  June,  we  reached  Wilkowski. 
We  left  there  on  the  22d  and  23d  of  June,  and  made  our  head- 
quarters at  a  village  a  league  and  half  from  Kowno.  The 
next  day,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  began  the  con- 


SIXTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


207 


struetion  of  three  bridges  over  the  Niemen.  The  work  was 
completed  at  twenty-five  minutes  before  midnight,  and  the 
army  began  to  enter  the  Russian  territory. 

It  was  wonderful  to  see  those  bodies  of  men  moving  over 
those  barren  plains.  Often  they  were  without  shelter  and 
without  bread;  often  in  the  wildest  places,  where  we  knew 
not  where  to  turn  to  find  necessary  food.  But  Providence 
and  courage  never  abandon  a  good  soldier. 


»2r  ". 


SEVENTH   NOTE-BOOK. 


THE    RUSSIAN    CAMPAIGN.  I    AM    APPOINTED    LIEUTENANT  ON 

THE    MINOR    IMPERIAL    STAFF.  THE     RETREAT     FROM     MOS- 
COW. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  1812,  we  crossed  the  Niemen.  Prince 
Murat  formed  the  advance  guard  with  his  cavalry ;  Marshal 
Davout,  with  sixty  thousand  men,  marched  in  column,  together 
with  the  whole  guard  and  his  artillery,  on  the  high  road  to 
Wilna.  It  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  such  a  spectacle 
as  those  columns,  moving  over  those  arid  plains,  with  no 
habitations  except  some  wretched  villages  devastated  by  the 
Russians.  Prince  Murat  caught  up  with  them  at  the  bridge 
of  Kowno ;  they  were  obliged  to  fall  back  upon  Wilna.  The 
weather,  which  up  to  that  time  had  been  very  fine,  suddenly 
changed.  On  the  29th  of  June,  at  three  o'clock,  a  violent 
storm  arose,  just  before  we  came  to  a  village,  which  I  had 
had  the  greatest  possible  difficulty  in  reaching.  When  we 
reached  the  shelter  of  this  village,  we  could  not  unharness  our 
horses  ;  we  had  to  take  off  their  bridles,  cut  some  grass  for 
them,  and  light  our  fires.  The  storm  of  sleet  and  snow  was 
so  terrible  that  we  could  scarcely  keep  our  horses  still;  we 
were  obliged  to  fasten  them  to  the  wheels.     I  was  half  dead 


SEVENTH    NOTE-BOOK.  209 

with  the  cold ;  not  being  able  to  stand  it  any  longer,  I  opened 
one  of  my  wagons,  and  crept  inside.  Next  morning  a  heart- 
rending sight  met  our  gaze  :  in  the  cavalry  camp  near  by,  the 
ground  was  covered  with  horses  frozen  to  death ;  more  than 
ten  thousand  died  during  that  dreadful  night.  When  I  got 
out  of  my  wagon,  all  numbed  with  the  cold,  I  saw  that  three 
of  my  horses  were  dead.  After  harnessing  up  my  four  wagons, 
I  distributed  all  I  had  remaining.  The  unfortunate  animals 
shook  so  that  they  broke  the  harness  as  soon  as  they  were 
hitched;  they  threw  themselves  into  their  collars  in  despera- 
tion ;  they  seemed  perfectly  wild,  and  plunged  violently.  If  I 
had  been  an  hour  later,  I  should  have  lost  them  all.  I  must 
say,  it  took  all  our  strength  to  manage  them. 

When  we  reached  the  highway,  we  found  some  dead  soldiers, 
who  had  not  been  able  to  stand  up  against  the  terrible  storm. 
This  demoralized  a  great  many  of  our  men.  Fortunately,  our 
forced  marches  caused  the  Emperor  of  Russia  to  leave  Wilna, 
where  he  had  established  his  headquarters.  In  this  large  city 
it  was  possible  to  reduce  the  army  to  order.  The  Emperor 
arrived  on  the  29th  of  June,  and  immediately  gave  orders 
to  deprive  the  stragglers  of  all  their  arms,  and  quarter  them 
in  an  enclosure  outside  of  the  city.  Here  they  were  closely 
confined,  and  their  rations  were  distributed  to  them.  The 
gendarmes  were  sent  out  in  every  direction  to  pick  them  up. 
They  numbered  three  battalions  of  seven  hundred  men,  and 
had  all  preserved  their  arms. 

After  a  short  interval  of  rest,  the  army  marched  forward 
into  immense  forests,  where  it  was  necessary  to  be  constantly 
on  the  watch,  for  fear  of  being  surprised  by  the  enemy  in 
ambush.  An  army  must  march  slowly  when  there  is  danger 
of  being  cut  off.  Before  he  started  himself,  the  Emperor  sent 
the  chasseurs  of  his  guard  on  ahead,  and  we  remained  with 
him.  On  the  13th  of  July,  he  issued  an  order  for  twenty-two 
non-commissioned  officers  to  be  sent  to  him,  few  promotion  to 
lieutenancies  in  the  line.  As  the  chasseurs  had  all  gone  off, 
all  the  promotions  fell  to  us.  We  had  to  be  on  the  square  at 
two  o'clock  to  be  presented  to  the  Emperor.  At  noon  I  was 
passing  by  with  my  package  of  letters,  for  distribution,  under 

r 


210       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

my  arm ;  Major  Belcourt  grasped  my  arm,  and,  pressing  it 
heartily,  said,  "  My  brave  fellow,  you  will  be  promoted  to-day 
to  be  lieutenant  of  the  line."  —  "I  thank  you;  but  I  do  not 
wish  to  return  to  the  line."  —  "  I  tell  you,  you  must  this  day 
wear  the  epaulets  of  a  lieutenant ;  and  I  give  you  my  word 
that  if  the  Emperor  puts  you  into  the  line,  I  will  manage  to 
have  you  returned  to  the  guard.  So  not  a  word ;  be  on  the 
square  at  two  o'clock,  without  fail."  —  "  Very  well,  I  will  be 
there."  —  "I  shall  be  there  before  you."  —  " All  right,  cap- 
tain." 

At  two  o'clock,  the  Emperor  came  to  review  us ;  all  twenty- 
two  of  us  were  there,  standing  in  line.  Beginning  at  the 
right-hand  man,  and  looking  every  one  of  those  fine-looking 
non-commissioned  officers  all  over  from  head  to  foot,  he  said  to 
General  Dorsenne,  "  These  will  make  fine  regimental  officers." 
When  he  came  to  me,  he  saw  that  I  was  the  smallest  of  them 
all,  and  the  major  said  to  him,  "This  is  our  instructor;  he 
does  not  wish  to  go  into  the  line."  —  "  What !  you  do  not 
wish  to  go  into  the  line  ?  "  —  "  No,  sire;  I  wish  to  remain  in 
your  guard."  —  u  Very  well,  I  will  appoint  you  to  my  minor 
staff."  Then,  turning  to  his  chief  of  staff,  Count  Monthyon, 
he  said,  "Take  this  little  'grumbler'  as  assistant  in  the  minor 
general  staff."  How  glad  I  was  to  remain  near  the  Emperor  ! 
I  did  not  suspect  that  I  was  leaving  paradise  for  hell ;  but  I 
learned  it  in  time. 

The  brave  General  Monthyon  came  up  to  me ;  "  Here  is  my 
address.  Come  to  me  to-morrow  at  eight  o'clock,  to  receive 
my  orders."  That  evening  my  comrades  shot  my  knapsack 
to  pieces.1 

The  next  day,  at  the  appointed  hour,  I  went  to  see  the 
general,  who  received  me  with  the  gracious  smile  of  a  man 
who  loves  his  veterans.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  you  are  to  do  duty 
near  the  Emperor.  If  it  will  not  be  too  much  trouble,  please 
cut  off  your  long  mustaches ;  the  Emperor  does  not  like  mus- 
taches on  his  staff  officers.  Come,  now,  make  the  sacrifice. 
If  I  were  to  send  you  on  a  mission,  would  you  be  afraid  of  a 

1  A  symbolic  ceremony  in  use  in  the  old  army.  It  proclaimed  that  the  newly  pro- 
moted man  would  have  no  more  haversacks  to  carry. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  211 

Cossack  ?  "  —  "  No,  general." — "  I  want  two  of  your  comrades, 
who  know  how  to  command,  to  lead  three  odd  battalions. 
You  will  know  which  to  select ;  send  them  to  me.  As  for 
you,  I  have  seen  you  command ;  you  understand  your  busi- 
ness. I  have  three  battalions  of  stragglers  to  send  back  to 
their  army  corps.  To-morrow  you  shall  command  them  in 
presence  of  the  Emperor.  So  come  here  with  your  two  com- 
rades, and  we  will  go  at  once  to  organize  the  three  battalions." 

On  reaching  the  enclosure,  the  general  called  for  the  soldiers 
of  the  third  corps,  and  placed  them  at  one  side,  and  soon  for 
those  of  the  other  corps.  When  this  was  done,  we  returned 
to  settle  up  our  accounts  with  the  quartermaster  of  the  guard, 
and  receive  our  certificates  and  our  funds.  Fortunately  for 
me,  the  soldiers  of  the  train  had  provided  me  with  a  fine 
horse,  with  saddle  and  portmanteau.  So  far,  I  was  all  right, 
but  I  had  no  chapeau,  no  sabre ;  I  had  only  my  foraging  cap, 
and  my  chevrons  had  been  taken  off.  I  looked  like  a  degraded 
non-commissioned  officer.     This  hurt  me. 

1  went  to  the  quartermaster's  office  to  get  my  pay  and  the 
certificate  of  my  services,  and  then  to  take  leave  of  my  kind 
officers.  They  told  me  to  take  my  choice  of  the  horses 
belonging  to  my  teams.  "  I  thank  you.  but  I  am  already 
well  mounted.  I  had  set  aside  a  fine  horse,  with  saddle 
and  bridle,  which  did  not  belong  to  the  equipages,  and  I 
leave  everything  in  good  condition."  —  "  Farewell,  my 
brave  fellow,  we  will  see  one  another  often."  —  "If  I  had 
a  chapeau,  I  should  be  content."  — "  Very  well,  come  by 
this  evening,  and  you  will  find  one  at  the  quartermaster's 
office  ;  I  will  look  out  for  it,"  said  the  adjutant-major.  "Now 
1  am  all  right."  —  "And  if  I  can  find  a  sabre  for  you,  I  will 
do  it  at  once.     You  have  a  right  to  one." 

I  left  them,  quite  overwhelmed;  I  went  to  see  Count 
Monthyon,  and  tell  him  I  had  been  discharged.  "  I  will  have 
your  first  pay  as  lieutenant  given  to  you  so  that  you  can  fit 
yourself  out.  Make  haste  and  settle  up  your  affairs  ;  we  must 
be  off  soon."  —  "  To-morrow,  general,  all  my  accounts  will  be 
settled." 

That  night  I  went  to  the  quartermaster's  office,  and  found 


212       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


a  chapeau  and  an  old  sabre,  and  I  felt  as  big  again.  The  next 
morning,  I  presented  myself  with  my  long  sabre  at  my  side, 
and  a  three-cornered  hat.  "  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  you  look  nicely. 
I  must  find  you  some  epaulets.  We  shall  leave  on  the  16th 
of  July.     Come  to  me  twice  a  day  for  orders." 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  I  presented  myself  before 
Count  Monthyon,  who  said,  "  We  shall  leave  to-morrow.  You 
will  have  seven  hundred  men  to  take  back  to  the  third  corps. 
At  noon  we  go  to  the  castle  and  see  the  Emperor.  I  have 
just  ordered  your  two  comrades  to  be  ready  at  eleven  o'clock, 
to  take  command  of  their  battalions.  They  must  be  reviewed 
at  once ;  the  muster-rolls  are  made  out  by 
regiments.  My  aide-de-camp  has  gone  to 
have  the  roll-call ;  we  must  be  ready." 

When  we  reached  the  enclosure,  we 
found  them  all  under  arms,  and  forming 
three  battalions.  He  placed  us  in  com- 
mand, and  had  us  acknowledged  as  their 
commanders  ;  he  gave  us  our  route-bills, 
'''  ^iHH*  and  the  rolls  of  the  regiments.  At  six 
o'clock,  on  the  15th,  I  went  into  the  en- 
closure to  call  them  out,  regiment  by 
regiment.  I  first  found  a  hundred  and 
thirty-three  Spaniards  belonging  to  the 
regiment  of  Joseph  Napoleon,  and  so  on 
with  the  others.  When  my  roll  had  been 
called,  I  made  them  arm  themselves.  I  had  had  no  sergeant 
given  me ;  a  drummer  and  one  little  musician  was  my  whole 
staff  with  which  to  manage  seven  hundred  men.  I  made  them 
carry  arms  and  stack  arms.  At  nine  o'clock  we  had  soup,  and 
at  ten  all  was  ready.  My  two  comrades  were  equally  energetic. 
At  eleven  o'clock  Count  Monthyon  came  up,  passed  on  rapidly, 
and  we  started  off.  Fortunately,  I  had  a  drum  ;  but  for  that, 
I  should  have  marched  like  a  mute. 

My  little  musician  marched  at  the  right  of  the  battalion 
with  his  little  sword  in  his  hand.  We  went  to  the  palace.  I 
placed  my  battalion  on  the  right  in  line  of  battle,  and  in 
the  front  rank,  with  the  others  behind.     I  stationed  guides  on 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  213 

the  line ;  as  they  knew  nothing  of  the  drill,  I  had  to  take  them 
by  the  arm,  and  the  Emperor  was  watching  me  from  his  bal- 
cony. I  made  them  carry  arms,  and  gave  the  command, 
"  Dress  up,  in  the  centre  !  Guides  to  your  places  ! "  I  cor- 
rected the  dressing,  and  took  my  place  at  the  right  of  my 
battalion.  Count  Monthyon  went  for  the  Emperor.  They 
came  out,  and  a  sign  was  made  for  me  to  come  to  them. 
"  How  many  cartridges  do  you  need  fn  —  "  Three  hundred 
and  seventy -three  packages,  Bire.w  —  "  Make  out  an  order  for 
your  cartridges  and  one  for  two  rations  of  bread  and  meat. 
Make  them  carry  arms,  by  the  right  flank,  and  take  them  out 
on  the  square.  I  will  have  them  guarded ;  and  go  at  once 
for  your  bread,  meat,  and  cartridges." 

All  the  outlets  from  the  square  were  guarded;  my  arms 
were  stacked,  and  I  took  some  men  for  special  duty,  went  for 
the  cartridges,  and  distributed  them;  then  I  went  for  the 
meat  and  bread.  At  seven  o'clock  all  the  distributions  had 
been  made.  I  was  half  dead  of  hunger,  and  went  to  get  some- 
thing to  eat,  and  see  about  my  line  horse.  I  chose  a  horse- 
man who  had  been  dismounted  for  my  servant.  I  received 
an  order  to  inarch  at  eight  o'clock. 

After  leaving  Wilna,  we  found  ourselves  surrounded  by 
great  forests.  I  left  the  head  of  my  battalion,  and  went  to 
the  rear,  making  the  stragglers  keep  up  by  placing  my  little 
musician  on  the  right  to  mark  the  time.  Night  came  on,  and 
I  saw  my  deserters  steal  away  into  the  depths  of  the  forest 
without  being  able  to  bring  them  back  to  the  ranks  on  account 
of  the  darkness.  I  could  do  nothing  but  fret.  What  was  to 
be  done  with  such  soldiers?  I  said  to  myself,  "They  will 
all  desert." 

They  marched  for  two  hours.  The  head  of  my  battalion, 
coming  to  an  open  space  where  several  roads  met  und  where 
there  were  no  woods,  established  themselves  there.  When 
the  rear  came  up,  the  fires  were  already  lighted.  Imagine 
my  surprise  !  "  What  are  you  doing  there  ?  Why  do  you  not 
go  on  ?  "  —  *  We  have  marched  far  enough ;  we  need  rest  and 
food." 

The  fires  were  burning  and  the  ]>ots  boiling.     At  midnight 


214       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIONET. 

the  Emperor  passed  by  with  his  escort.  Seeing  my  bivouac 
all  lighted  up,  he  halted,  and  called  me  to  the  door  of  his 
carriage.  "  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  —  "  Please  your 
Majesty,  it  is  not  I  who  command,  but  they.  I  came  up  with 
the  rear-guard,  and  found  the  head  of  the  battalion  settled 
down  and  the  fires  lighted.  A  great  many  deserters  have 
already  returned  to  Wilna,  taking  their  two  rations  with  them. 
What  can  I  do  alone  with  seven  hundred  stragglers  ?  "  — 
"  Do  the  best  you  can ;  I  will  give  orders  to  have  them  ar- 
rested." 

1  departed,  and  I  was  left  to  spend  the  night  with  these  un- 
manageable soldiers,  and  sigh  for  my  sergeant's  straps.  But 
this  was  not  the  end  of  my  troubles.  At  dawn  I  had  the 
assembly  beaten  ;  at  broad  daylight  I  had  the  drummers  beat 
to  arms,  and  started  once  more  on  our  route,  telling  them  that 
the  Emperor  was  going  to  have  all  the  deserters  arrested.  I 
marched  until  noon,  and,  as  we  emerged  from  a  wood,  I  came 
upon  a  herd  of  cows  grazing  in  a  meadow.  My  soldiers  im- 
mediately took  their  bowls,  and  went  off  to  milk  the  cows, 
and  we  had  to  wait  for  them.  When  the  evening  came,  they 
would  camp  before  nightfall,  and  every  time  we  came  across 
any  cows,  we  had  to  stop.  It  may  be  imagined  that  this  was 
not  much  fun  for  me.  At  last  we  came  to  a  forest,  very  far 
away  from  the  towns,  a  considerable  portion  of  which  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire.  This  burnt  forest  extended  along  the 
way  on  my  right,  and  I  saw  a  party  of  my  troops  turn  to  the 
right  into  these  charred  woods.  I  galloped  off  after  them,  to 
make  them  come  back  to  the  road.  To  my  surprise,  these 
soldiers  made  an  about  face,  and  fired  at  me.  I  was  obliged 
to  let  them  go.  This  was  a  plot  got  up  among  the  soldiers  of 
Joseph  Napoleon,  who  were  all  Spaniards.  There  were  a 
hundred  and  thirty-three  of  them,  and  not  one  single  French- 
man had  joined  the  brigands.  When  I  returned  to  my  detach- 
ment, I  made  them  form  a  circle,  and  said  to  them,  "  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  report  this  affair.  Be  Frenchmen,  and  follow  me  ! 
I  shall  act  as  rear-guard  no  longer ;  that  shall  be  your  duty. 
By  the  right  flank  ! " 

That  same  evening,  we  emerged  from  the  forest,  and  came 


"  They  shot  sixty-two  of  them."  —  Page  215. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  215 

to  a  village  where  there  was  a  cavalry  station,  with  a  colonel 
who  was  guarding  the  forks  of  the  road,  and  showing  the 
troops  which  to  take.  I  went  to  him,  and  made  my  report ; 
he  ordered  my  battalion  to  camp,  and,  upon  suggestions  from 
me,  he  sent  for  some  Jews  and  his  interpreter.  He  judged, 
from  the  distance,  to  which  village  my  deserters  must  have 
gone,  and  sent  off  fifty  chasseurs,  with  the  Jews  to  guide 
them.  About  half-way  they  met  some  peasants  who  had  been 
unjustly  treated,  and  were  coming  to  ask  for  protection.  They 
reached  the  village  at  midnight,  surrounded  it,  and  surprised 
the  Spaniards  while  they  were  asleep ;  seized  them,  disarmed 
them,  and  put  their  guns  in  a  wagon.  The  men  were  tied  and 
put  into  small  wagons  with  a  strong  guard.  At  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  hundred  and  thirty-three  Spaniards  arrived, 
and  were  set  free  from  their  shackles.  The  colonel  ordered 
them  into  line,  and  said  to  them,  "  You  have  behaved  very 
badly ;  I  shall  deal  with  you  by  lots.  Are  there  any  sergeants 
or  corporals  among  you  to  form  your  lots  ? "  At  this  two 
sergeants  showed  their  chevrons,  which  had  been  concealed  by 
their  cloaks.  "  Stand  aside,  there  !  Are  there  any  corpo- 
rals ?  "  Three  came  forward.  u  Stand  there  !  Are  there  any 
more  among  you  ?  All  right !  Now,  the  rest  of  you  draw 
lots."  Those  who  drew  white  tickets  were  placed  on  one  side, 
and  those  who  drew  black  ones,  on  the  other.  When  all  had 
drawn,  he  said  to  them,  "You  have  run  away,  you  have 
acted  as  incendiaries,  you  have  fired  upon  your  officer ;  the  law 
condemns  you  to  death,  and  you  must  submit  to  your  punish- 
ment. I  could  have  you  all  shot,  but  I  will  spare  half  of  you. 
Let  them  serve  as  an  example  to  you.  Commander,  order 
your  battalion  to  load  their  guns.  My  assistant  will  give  the 
command  to  fire."  They  shot  sixty-two  of  them.  My  God ! 
what  a  scene  it  was.  I  left  the  spot  immediately  with  a 
bursting  heart,  but  the  Jews  were  highly  delighted.1  Such 
was  my  first  experience  as  lieutenant. 

I  was  anxious  to  reach  the  end  of  my  journey ;  but  the  mar- 
shal was  ahead  of  me.     At  Gluskoe,  where  I  found  the  guard, 

1  They  had  the  spoils  of  the  men  who  were  shot. 


216       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

I  put  my  soldiers  into  bivouac,  and  had  provisions  given  them. 
The  next  day  I  started  for  Witepsk,  where  two  severe  battles 
had  taken  place.  Oh,  how  I  longed  to  get  rid  of  my  hateful 
burden  !  At  last  I  reached  Witepsk,  full  of  joy,  thinking  I 
had  come  to  the  end  of  my  march.  But  I  was  mistaken ;  the 
marshal's  corps  was  still  three  leagues  ahead.  I  went  to  get 
orders  as  to  which  road  I  should  take,  and,  on  returning,  found 
only  the  drummer  waiting  for  me.  "  Well,  where  are  they 
all  ?"  —  "  All  run  away,"  said  my  drummer  and  my  soldier ; 
"  some  one  told  them  that  the  third  corps  was  only  one  league 
off." 

I  started  off  with  my  drummer  and  my  soldier.  I  had 
three  leagues  to  go.  At  four  o'clock  I  caught  up  with  the 
marshal's  staff.  The  aide-de-camp  and  the  officers,  seeing  me 
alone  with  my  drummer  and  solitary  soldier,  began  to  laugh. 
"  It  is  not  very  becoming  in  you,  gentlemen,  to  laugh  at  me. 
See,  general,  here  is  my  route-bill ;  you  will  see  what  I  have 
been  doing  since  I  left  AVilna." 

When  the  chief  of  staff  had  looked  over  my  report,  he  took 
me  aside.  "  Where  are  your  soldiers  ?  "  —  "  They  deserted  me 
at  Witepsk,  just  before  we  entered  the  town,  when  I  galloped 
off  to  get  orders  for  the  route  I  was  to  take  to  join  you.  They 
all  ran  off  in  the  joyful  expectation  of  joining  their  corps 
more  quickly.  As  for  the  sixty  who  were  shot,  there  was  not 
one  Frenchman  among  them."  —  uHow  much  you  must  have 
endured  from  these  stragglers  ! "  —  "  Ah,  general,  I  have 
sweated  blood."  —  "I  want  to  present  you  to  the  marshal."  — 
"  I  know  him,  and  he  knows  me ;  he  will  not  laugh  at  me  as 
your  officers  did.  They  wounded  me  very  much."  —  "  Come, 
my  brave  fellow,  think  no  more  of  it.  Come  with  me ;  I  will 
make  it  all  right." 

When  he  came  where  the  officers  were,  he  said,  "  Take  this 
brave  man  to  my  tent,  and  give  him  something  to  drink.  I  am 
going  to  see  the  marshal,  for  he  brings  us  news.  See  i;o  this 
at  once.  I  will  rejoin  you  in  a  moment."  He  returned,  and 
taking  me  by  the  arm  before  his  officers,  who  were  much  con- 
founded, he  said,  "  Come,  the  marshal  wishes  to  see  you." 

When  the  marshal  saw  my  uniform,  he  said,  "You  are  one 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  217 

of  my  old  grumblers."  —  "Yes,  general.  It  was  you  who 
made  me  put  the  cards  into  my  stockings  so  I  should  be  tall 
enough  to  enter  the  grenadiers  whom  you  commanded  at  that 
time."  —  "  That  is  so ;  I  remember.  You  had  already  received 
a  gun  of  honor  at  the  battle  of  Montebello,  and  you  have 
since  been  decorated."  —  "  Yes,  general ;  the  first  one  in  1804." 
—  "This  is  one  of  my  old  grenadiers.  You  must  not  go  away 
till  to-morrow.  I  will  give  you  my  despatches.  Which  is 
your  corps  ? "  —  "I  am  assistant  at  the  Emperor's  minor 
headquarters,  under  command  of  Count  Monthyon."  —  "Ah! 
you  have  a  good  position.  To-morrow,  at  ten  o'clock,  you  will 
receive  my  despatches.  Put  this  old  soldier  at  the  officers' 
table,  and  feed  his  horse."  —  "  Yes,  marshal."  —  "  And  hand 
over  to  him  all  the  men  who  have  returned  and  been  received. 
Look  over  all  the  regiments,  and  see  if  they  have  re-en- 
tered, and  report  to  me  this  evening  at  eight  o'clock."  To 
me,  he  said,  "At  ten  o'clock  to-morrow,  you  must  start  for 
Witepsk ;  you  will  find  the  Emperor  there.  I  will  give  you 
a  letter  to  Monthyon."  Returning  to  his  officers,  the  chief  of 
staff  said,  "  This  officer  is  one  of  our  oldest  soldiers  ;  receive 
him  as  he  deserves ;  he  is  well  known  to  the  marshal.  Let 
him  dine  with  you,  and  after  dinner  my  aide-de-camp  will 
accompany  him  to  the  commanders  of  the  corps,  so  that  he 
can  receive  the  men  who  have  returned  and  been  re-entered." 

In  a  word,  they  sang  low  mass  with  me,  and  put  water  in 
their  wine.  I  was  most  kindly  received,  and,  after  dinner,  I 
was  conducted  to  the  camp,  where  I  found  my  re-entered  sol- 
diers, who  hastened  to  ask  pardon  for  their  ill-conduct  to  me. 
"  I  have  no  complaint  against  you,  soldiers,"  said  I ;  "it  was 
your  zeal  which  carried  you  away." 

When  we  met  the  colonel  of  the  Spaniards,  who  was  a 
Frenchman,  I  asked  him  for  my  receipt.  "But,"  said  he, 
"half  of  them  are  missing."  —  "They  are  dead,  colonel.  Go 
and  see  the  marshal."  —  "  What,  dead  ?  "  —  "  Half  of  them 
were  shot."  — "Then  I  will  shoot  the  other  half."  —  "  You 
have  no  right  to  do  it ;  they  have  been  pardoned.  They  sub- 
mitted to  their  punishment,  and  the  Emperor  must  decide 
the  matter."  —  "  How  many  are  killed  ?  "  —  "  Sixty-two,   of 


218       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

whom  two  were  sergeants  and  three  corporals."  —  "Give  me 
the  details."  —  "I  cannot;  the  marshal  is  waiting  Let  me 
have  my  receipt,  if  you  please  ;  I  must  go  at  once."  The  aide- 
de-camp  took  him  aside,  and,  after  a  few  words,  we  left.  The 
next  day,  at  eight  o'clock,  I  went  to  the  marshal.  "  Here  are 
your  despatches,  march  !  " 

By  noon  I  reached  Witepsk,  and  went  to  see  Count  Monthy- 
on.  I  handed  him  my  despatches  and  receipts.  He  had 
learned  all  that  had  passed,  and  the  Emperor  was  informed  of 
it.  The  marshal  had  said  a  word  or  two  for  me  which  pleased 
the  general.  "You  shall  not  go  on  duty  again,"  said  he, 
"until  we  reach  the  suburbs  of  Smolensk." 

Witepsk  is  a  large  town.  There  I  met  my  old  comrades 
and  my  kind  officers.  We  remained  there  waiting  for  sup- 
plies. The  excessive  heat,  added  to  all  our  other  privations, 
brought  on  dysentery,  from  which  our  army  suffered  consider- 
able loss.  The  Emperor  left  Witepsk  during  the  night  of  the 
12th  of  August.  All  the  corps  under  his  command  went,  by 
forced  marches,  to  Smolensk,  a  strong  position  about  thirty- 
two  leagues  off.  The  investment  was  completed  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  17th  of  August.  Napoleon  ordered  the  attack 
along  the  whole  line  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  battle  was  a  terribly  bloody  one.  During  the  engagement 
he  sent  for  me.  "  Start  at  once  for  Witepsk  with  this  order, 
which  enjoins  upon  every  man,  no  matter  to  what  branch  of 
the  army  he  may  belong,  to  give  you  assistance  in  unsaddling 
your  horse.  At  the  relays,  all  the  horses  will  be  at  your  dis- 
posal in  case  of  need,  except  the  artillery  horses.  Are  you 
mounted  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sire,  I  have  two  horses."  —  "  Take  them 
both.  When  you  have  ridden  one  down,  take  the  other.  Go  as 
fast  as  you  possibly  can.  I  shall  expect  you  back  to-morrow ; 
it  is  now  three  o'clock.  Go ! "  I  mounted  at  once ;  Count 
Monthyon  said  to  me,  "  There  is  need  for  haste,  my  veteran  ; 
take  your  other  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  leave  the  first  one  on 
the  way."  —  "  But  they  are  both  saddled."  —  "  Leave  your 
best  saddle  with  my  servants.     Do  not  lose  a  moment." 

I  flew  like  lightning,  leading  my  other  horse.  When  the 
first  one  began  to  give  way  under  me,  I  dismounted,  with  one 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


219 


turn  I  changed  the  saddle  to  the  other  horse,  and  left  my  poor 
beast  lying  on  the  ground.  I  dashed  on.  When  I  came  to  a 
wood,  I  met  some  sutlers  who  were  going  to  rejoin  their  corps. 
"  Halt !  a  horse  at  once  !  I  leave  you  mine  ready  saddled  ;  I 
am  in  great  haste.  Unhitch  and  unsaddle  my  horse."  — 
"  Here  are  four  fine  Polish  horses,"  said  the  sutler,  "  which 
will  you  have  ?  *  — u  That  one !  quick,  quick !  I  am  in  a 
hurry.  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose."  Ah,  that  good  horse, 
how  far  he  carried  me  !  I  found  in  that  forest  a  line  of  posts 
for  the  protection  of  the  route.  When  I  came  to  the  officer  of 
the  post :  "  See,  here  is  my  order  :  a  horse,  quick  !  Keep  mine  !  " 

I  did  not  lose 
an  hour's  time  all 
the  way  to  Wi- 
tepsk.  I  gave 
my  despatches  to 
the  general  in 
command.  After 
reading  them  he 
said,  "  Give  this 
officer  his  dinner, 
let  him  lie  down 
on  a  mattress  for 
an  hour,  have  a 
good  horse  ready 
for  him,  and  a  chasseur  to  escort  him.  You  will  find  a  regi- 
ment camped  near  the  wood.  He  can  change  horses  at  the  post 
in  the  wood."  When  the  hour  had  elapsed  the  general  came. 
"  Your  package  is  ready ;  start,  my  brave  fellow.  If  you  meet 
with  no  delay  on  the  way,  you  will  not  have  spent  twenty-four 
hours  on  the  road,  even  counting  the  loss  of  time  in  changing 
horses."  I  started  off  well  mounted  and  escorted.  I  found 
the  regiment  camped  in  the  forest.  I  presented  my  order  to 
the  colonel.  As  soon  as  he  read  it,  "Give  him  your  horse, 
adjutant-major,  it  is  the  Emperor's  order.  Unsaddle  his 
horse.     There  is  no  time  to  lose." 

I  expected  to  find  the  cavalry  stations  in  the  wood ;  but  I 
did  not.     They  had  all  gone  off,  or  been  captured.     I  found 


/>i-r?f« 


220       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

myself  alone  without  any  escort.  I  wondered  what  I  ought 
to  do.  I  went  along  more  slowly,  and  presently  saw,  some 
distance  off  on  an  eminence,  some  cavalry  dismounted.  I  kept 
along  the  edge  of  the  wood  so  as  not  to  be  seen,  for  they  were 
doubtless  Cossacks  on  the  watch.  I  went  closer  into  the  wood. 
Suddenly  a  peasant  came  out,  who  said  to  me,  "  Cossacks  ! " 
I  had  seen  them  plainly  enough.  Without  hesitating,  I 
dismounted,  and,  seizing  my  pistol,  I  pointed  it  at  the  peasant, 
showing  him  gold  in  one  hand  and  my  pistol  in  the  other. 
He  understood,  and  said  to  me,  "Tac,  tac"  which  meant,  "  All 
right."  Putting  my  gold  back  in  the  pocket  of  my  waistcoat, 
and  passing  my  horse's  bridle  over  my  arm,  I  took  my  loaded 
pistol  in  my  left  hand,  and,  with  my  right,  I  held  on  to  the 
Russian  who  led  me  along  a  path.  After  following  it  for  a 
considerable  distance,  he  brought  me  back  towards  my  route, 
saying,  "  Nien,  nien,  Cossacks  ! " 

I  then  recognized  my  road,  for  I  saw  the  birch-trees.  Filled 
with  joy,  I  gave  three  napoleons  to  the  peasant,  and  mounted 
my  horse.  How  I  dug  my  spurs  into  his  sides !  The  road 
disappeared  behind  me.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  reach  a 
farm  before  my  horse  began  to  stumble.  I  dashed  into  the 
courtyard,  and,  seeing  three  young  physicians,  I  dismounted, 
and  ran  to  the  stable.  "  A  horse  at  once !  I  will  leave  you 
mine.     Read  this  order." 

I  mounted  another  good  horse,  which  travelled  well ;  but  I 
should  need  one  more,  at  least,  to  carry  me  to  the  end  of  my 
journey.  The  night  was  coming  on,  and  I  could  no  longer  see 
my  way  before  me.  Fortunately,  I  met  four  officers  well 
mounted.  I  began  to  go  through  the  same  ceremony.  "  See 
if  you  can  read  this  order  from  the  Emperor,  requiring  you  to 
give  me  a  fresh  horse."  A  large  man,  whom  I  took- to  be  a 
general,  said  to  one  of  the  others,  "  Unsaddle  your  horse ;  give 
it  to  this  officer.     His  orders  are  pressing.     Assist  him." 

This  saved  me.  I  reached  the  field  of  battle.  I  went 
around  looking  and  asking  for  the  Emperor.  All  answered 
me,  "  We  do  not  know  where  he  is."  I  went  on,  and  leaving 
the  route,  I  saw  some  fires  on  my  left.  I  came  to  some  small 
brushwood.    I  went  forward  and  passed  near  a  battery.    Some 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  221 

one  called,  "  Who  goes  there  t"  —  "  An  ordnance  officer."  — 
"  Halt !  you  are  going  towards  the  enemy.'-'  —  "  Where  is  the 
Emperor?  "  —  "Come  this  way;  I  will  lead  you  near  his  post." 
When  I  rode  up  to  the  officer,  he  said,  "  Conduct  him  to  the 
Emperor's  tent."  — "  I  thank  you."  I  reached  the  tent,  and 
had  myself  announced.  General  Monthyon  came  out,  and  said 
to  me,  "Is  it  you,  my  brave  fellow?  I  will  take  you  to  the 
Emperor  at  once.  He  thought  you  had  been  captured."  Then 
my  general  said  to  the  Emperor,  "  Here  is  the  officer  who  has 
just  come  from  Witepsk."  I  gave  him  my  despatches,  and  he 
saw  my  deplorable  condition.  "  How  did  you  get  through  the 
forest?  The  Cossacks  were  there."  —  "With  gold,  sire;  a 
peasant  took  me  through  a  winding  path,  and  saved  me."  — 
"  How  much  did  you  pay  him  ?  "  —  "  Three  napoleons."  — 
"  And  your  horses  ?  "  —  "I  have  none  now.'-  —  "  Monthyon, 
pay  him  for  all  the  expenses  of  his  journey :  for  his  two 
horses,  and  the  sixty  francs  which  the  peasant  well  deserved. 
Give  my  old  grumbler  time  to  remount  himself.  For  his  two 
horses,  sixteen  hundred  francs  and  expenses.  I  am  well 
pleased  with  you." 

The  next  day  we  entered  Smolensk.  At  daylight  no  one 
could  pass  into  the  city.  The  Russians,  from  the  other  side 
on  the  heights,  riddled  the  town  with  shells  and  cannon-balls. 
It  was  in  a  sad  plight.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
a  general  attack  was  ordered.  The  battle  was  terribly  bloody, 
and  the  firing  ceased  only  with  the  daylight.  The  city  took 
tire  that  beautiful  August  night.  In  order  to  get  into  it.  we 
had  to  cross  a  low  ground,  and  then  ascend  to  a  gate,  which 
was  barricaded  with  sacks  of  salt.  Thousands  of  sacks  barred 
this  handsome  entrance.  As  for  the  street,  we  traversed  it 
between  furnaces.  All  those  fine  storehouses  were  a  solid 
mass  of  embers,  particularly  the  sugar  depot.  It  is  impossible 
to  describe  the  different  colors  of  the  blaze.  It  may  be  truly 
said  that  Smolensk  cost  us  clear,  and  the  Russians  dearer. 
The  loss  on  both  sides  was  considerable.  We  were  obliged 
to  move  round  the  city  in  order  to  take  possession  of 
the  heights.  Then  we  remained  several  days  at  Smolensk. 
To  go  out  of  the  city,  we  had  to  descend  a  very  steep  slope, 


222       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

cross  a  bridge,  and  turn  abruptly  to  the  right.  From  Smolensk 
to  Moscow  is  a  distance  of  ninety-three  leagues,  and  the  whole 
way  the  road  is  through  deep  forests.  On  the  19th  of  August 
took  place  the  battle  which  Marshal  Ney  fought  at  Valoutina. 
The  Emperor  received  a  report  of  the  battle,  and  learned  that 
Marshal  Davout  had  gone  three  leagues  beyond  the  line  of 
battle.  He  had  gone  through  a  forest  without  searching  it, 
and  might  be  cut  off  by  the  Eussians.  The  Emperor  foresaw 
this,  and  sent  me  to  order  him  to  fall  back. 

On  reaching  the  marshal,  I  handed  him  the  despatches.  He 
immediately  ordered  his  reserve  to  wheel  about,  and  his 
whole  corps  to  retreat,  and  sent  me  back.  I  found  his  reserve 
division  already  in  close  columns,  occupjdng  the  whole  road 
through  the  wood.  Not  being  able  to  pass  them,  I  took  a 
road  to  the  left,  which  ran  parallel  with  the  route,  and 
galloped  off  to  get  ahead  of  the  retreating  division,  and  so 
ran  into  the  midst  of  a  Russian  column,  which  was  going 
along  this  narrow  road.  Seeing  that  it  was  routed,  I  did 
not  lose  my  presence  of  mind,  but  began  to  shout  with  the 
voice  of  a  Stentor,  "  Forward !  "  And,  turning  back  down  the 
road,  I  passed  those  frightened  fugitives,  who  stooped  as  they 
marched.  I  finally  extricated  myself,  and,  gaining  the  main 
road,  I  informed  our  officers  that  the  Russians  were  in  the 
wood. 

I  met  the  guard  on  the  way,  they  having  left  Smolensk  on 
the  25th  of  August  to  go  to  the  outposts.  I  also  saw  the 
Emperor,  and  reported  to  him  my  adventure.  "  Did  you  see  the 
battle-field  ?  "  asked  the  Emperor.  "  No,  sire  ;  but  the  road  was 
covered  with  Russians  and  a  great  many  Frenchmen."  —  "  You 
cannot  follow  me ;  you  must  come  on  with  the  carriages  to- 
morrow, and  join  me." 

He  said  to  his  groom,  "  Take  care  of  my  old  grumbler ;  he 
will  follow  you."  I  was  kindly  treated,  and  the  next  day  a 
horse  was  furnished  me,  so  that  I  could  allow  mine  to  rest. 
We  rejoined  the  Emperor  by  forced  marches.  On  the  29th,  as 
the  Russians  were  leaving  a  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Wiazma, 
they  set  fire  to  the  storehouses,  and  a  fourth  of  the  town  was 
burnt.     For  forty  leagues  they  continued  to  do  this,  remorse- 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  223 

lessly  burning  the  cottages  filled  with  their  own  wounded, 
which  we  found  reduced  to  ashes.  Not  a  barrack  remained 
along  the  route.  As  for  their  wounded,  the  amputations  were 
skilfully  performed,  and  bandages  well  applied;  but  they 
afterwards  sent  them  into  another  world.  And  if  they  did 
not  have  time  to  bury  them,  they  left  them  in  piles  for  us  to 
see.     It  was  a  heart-rending  sight. 

The  Emperor,  after  having  spent  a  part  of  the  day  of  the 
6th  of  September  in  reconnoitring  the  enemy's  position,  sent 
orders  for  the  battle  which  was  to  take  place  the  next  day. 
It  is  known  as  the  battle  of  the  Moskwa.  In  order  to  pass 
into  the  plain  occupied  by  the  Russians,  it  was  necessary  to 
leave  the  wood.  As  soon  as  we  emerged  from  it  we  saw,  on 
the  right  of  the  road,  a  large  redoubt  which  shelled  us  as  we 
came  out.  We  had  to  make  unheard-of  efforts  to  take  it.  The 
cuirassiers  carried  it,  and  then  the  columns  spread  out  in  the 
plain.  The  grand  reserve  was  placed  on  the  left  of  the  main 
road,  and  we  could  not  see  the  battle  line  of  the  columns ;  we 
could  only  see  some  coppices  of  willows  and  skirts  of  woods. 
We  passed  the  night  in  getting  ready ;  at  break  of  day  we 
were  all  on  foot,  and  the  artillery  began  on  both  sides.  The 
Emperor  made  a  great  movement  with  his  reserve,  and  ordered 
it  over  to  the  right  side  of  the  main  road,  flanked  by  a  deep 
ravine,  from  which  position  he  did  not  move  all  day.  He  had 
there  with  him  twenty  or  twenty-five  thousand  men  —  the  elite 
of  France — all  in  full  uniform.  From  time  to  time  messen- 
gers came  to  ask  him  to  order  the  guard  to  finish  the  battle, 
but  in  vain ;  he  held  out  the  whole  day.  Our  troops  made 
every  possible  effort  to  take  the  redoubts  which  were  thunder- 
ing upon  our  infantry  on  the  right ;  they  were  always  repulsed, 
and  the  victory  depended  upon  this  position.  The  general 
led  me  up  to  the  Emperor.  "  Are  you  well  mounted  f n  — 
"  Yes,  sire."  —  "  Go  at  once  and  carry  this  order  to  Caulain- 
court ;  you  will  find  him  on  the  right  by  the  side  of  the 
wood.  You  will  see  the  cuirassiers ;  it  is  he  who  commands 
them.     Do  not  return  till  after  the  end." 

I  went  to  the  general,  and  presented  the  order.  He  read  it, 
and  said  to  his  aide-de-camp,  "Here  is  the  order  which  I  have 


224       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

been  expecting.  Sound  to  horse !  Send  the  colonels  up  for 
orders."  They  came  up  on  horseback,  and  formed  a  circle. 
Caulaincourt  read  them  the  order  to  take  the  redoubts,  and 
appointed  to  each  the  redoubt  he  was  to  attack.  "  I  will  re- 
serve the  second  for  myself.  You,  officer  of  the  staff,  follow 
me ;  do  not  lose  sight  of  me."  —  "I  shall  not,  general."  —  " If  I 
fall,  you,  colonel,  must  take  the  command ;  those  redoubts 
must  be  taken  at  the  first  charge."  Then  he  said  to  the  colo- 
nels, "  You  hear  what  I  say :  go  take  the  head  of  your  regi- 


ments. The  grenadiers  are  waiting  for  us.  There  is  not  a 
moment  to  lose !  Trot  when  I  give  the  command,  and  gallop 
as  soon  as  you  are  within  gunshot.  The  grenadiers  will  leap 
over  the  barriers." 

The  cuirassiers  went  along  the  edge  of  the  wood  and  fell 
upon  the  redoubts  directly  in  front,  while  the  grenadiers 
attacked  the  barriers.  Cuirassiers  and  French  grenadiers 
struggled  pell-mell  with  the  Russians.  The  brave  Caulain- 
court fell  stone-dead  beside  me.  I  followed  the  old  colonel 
who  took  the  command,  and  never  lost  sight  of  him.  When 
the  charge  was  over  and  the  redoubts  in  our  possession,  the 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  225 

old  colonel  said  to  me,  "  Go  tell  the  Emperor  that  the  victory- 
is  ours.  I  shall  send  to  him  the  staff-officers  taken  in  the 
redoubts." 

The  Russians  made  every  possible  effort  to  save  the  re- 
doubts, but  Marshal  Ney  thundered  upon  their  right  wing. 
I  started  off  at  a  gallop,  and,  as  I  was  crossing  the  battle-field, 
I  saw  the  ground  ploughed  up  by  cannon-balls,  and  thought  I 
should  not  escape  them.  When  I  reached  the  Emperor  I  dis- 
mounted, and,  loosing  the  string  and  taking  off  my  hat,  I  saw 
that  the  hind  corner  was  gone.  "Well  done,"  said  he  ;  "you 
have  had  a  narrow  escape."  —  "I  had  not  perceived  it  before. 
The  redoubts  are  taken ;  General  Caulaincourt  is  dead."  — 
"  What  a  loss  ! "  —  "A  good  many  officers  are  to  be  brought 
to  you." 

Everybody  laughed  at  my  hat  with  its  one  corner.  I  did 
not  mind  it ;  people  laugh  at  everything.  The  Emperor  called 
for  his  bear-skin.  As  he  was  occupying  the  sloping  side  of  a 
ravine,  he  was  almost  in  a  standing  position  when  lying  down. 
Just  at  this  moment  the  officers  who  had  been  captured  in  the 
redoubts  arrived,  escorted  by  a  company  of  grenadiers.^  They 
were  drawn  up  in  line  according  to  their  rank.  The  Emperor 
reviewed  them,  and  asked  if  his  soldiers  had  robbed  them  of  any- 
thing. They  answered  that  not  a  single  soldier  had  interfered 
with  them  in  any  way.  An  old  grenadier  of  the  company  stepped 
from  the  ranks,  and,  presenting  his  arms  to  the  Emperor,  said, 
"  It  was  I  who  captured  that  superior  officer."  The  Emperor 
listened  to  all  that  the  grenadier  had  to  say,  and  took  down 
his  name.  "And  what  did  your  captain  do?"  —  "He  was 
the  first  man  to  enter  the  third  redoubt."  The  Emperor  then 
said  to  the  latter,  "I  appoint  you  chief  of  battalion,  and 
your  officers  shall  have  the  cross."  And  added,  "  Commander, 
order  a  movement  by  the  left  flank,  and  be  off  to  the  field  of 
honor."  Then  they  shouted,  "  Long  live  the  Emperor ! "  and 
flew  to  rejoin  their  eagle.  We  passed  the  night  on  the  battle- 
field, and  the  next  day  the  Emperor  had  all  the  wounded 
taken  up.  This  task  made  us  shudder ;  the  ground  was  cov- 
ered with  Russian  muskets  :  near  their  field  hospitals  there 
were  piles  of  dead  bodies  and  heaps  of  limbs  which  had  been 
amputated. 


226       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

Murat  pursued  them  so  rapidly  that  they  burned  up  their 
wounded  men;  we  found  them  all  charred  skeletons.  That 
shows  how  much  they  valued  their  soldiers.  The  Emperor 
left  Mojaisk  on  the  afternoon  of  the  12th,  and  moved  his 
headquarters  to  Tartaki,  a  small  village.  Count  Monthyon 
sent  for  me,  and  said,  "  You  are  very  fortunate  :  the  Emperor 
intends  sending  you  to  join  Prince  Murat,  who  is  to  enter 
Moscow  to-morrow.  Come,  take  the  Emperor's  orders."  When 
I  went  into  His  Majesty's  presence,  he  said,  "  I  have  appointed 
you  to  go  and  join  Murat ;  take  with  you  twenty  gendarmes, 


and  when  you  reach  the  Kremlin  examine  the  vaults,  and  post 
the  gendarmes  at  all  the  entrances  of  the  palace.  Monthyon, 
give  him  your  interpreter  and  my  despatches  for  Murat.  To- 
morrow morning  you  are  to  start."  How  proud  I  was  of  such 
a  mission  !  At  ten  o'clock  I  had  reached  Prince  Murat.  I 
gave  him  my  despatches.  "We  are  to  march,"  said  he;  "you 
will  follow  me  with  your  gendarmes."  —  "Yes,  prince."  — 
"But  you  have  only  a  piece  of  a  hat."  —  "The  Kussians 
wanted  the  other  part  for  touchwood."  He  burst  out  laugh- 
ing. "  You  were  formerly  in  the  guard  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  prince  ; 
in   the  foot  grenadiers."  — "  You  are   one   of  our  veterans. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


227 


Order  your  gendarmes  to  be  on  horseback  at  eleven  o'clock  to 
advance  with  us  to  the  bridge." 

We  emerged  from  the  forest.  A  dry  and  sandy  plain  sloped 
rapidly  down  in  front  of  an  immensely  long  bridge,  built  on 
piles,  where  there  was  no  water  •,  it  was  used  only  during  the 
melting  of  the  snows.  When  we  reached  the  bridge,  we  found 
the  city  authorities  there  and  a  Russian  general,  who  pre- 
sented the  keys  to  the  prince.  After  the  usual  ceremonies, 
the  prince  gave  the  Russian  general  a  casket  richly  studded 
with  diamonds,  and  we  entered  the  city  by  a  broad  and  well- 
built  street.1  We  were  preceded  by  four  pieces  of  cannon,  a 
battalion,   and   a  .._ 

squad  of  cavalry; 
all  the  people 
came  to  the  win- 
dows to  see  us 
pass,  and  the  la-{ 
dies  presented  us 
with  bottles  ot 
wine,  but  no  one 
stopped.  We 
marched  slowly. 
At  the  end  of  this 
immense  street 
we  came  to  the  foot  of  the  Kremlin.  The  ascent  to  it  is  very 
steep.  It  is  a  strong  castle  overlooking  the  city,  which  is 
divided  into  two  parts,  and,  consequently,  two  immense  cities 
seem  lying  below  it.  On  its  summit  to  the  right  is  the 
splendid  palace  of  the  Emperors.  On  the  square  of  the 
Kremlin  to  the  left  is  a  large  arsenal ;  to  the  right,  the  church, 
which  has  the  palace  at  its  back,  and  in  front  of  the  square  is 

1  If  tin-  interest  of  Colgnet's  narrative  depended  upon  the  statement  of  facts,  there 
would  be  here,  a*  in  other  places,  much  to  verify.  The  keys  of  the  city  were  not  pre 
tented;  the  "  authorities  ''  were  only  some  foreign  merchants,  and  the  Russian  >:e" 
era!  was  only  an  officer,  deputized  to  propose  a  sort  of  tacit  armistice  in  order  to  t':u  il- 
itate  the  retreat  through  the  city.  As  the  advance-guard  of  the  French  almost 
touched  the  last  ranks  of  the  Russian  rear-guard,  Murat  asked  for  the  commander  of 
the  latter,  and  exchanged  courtesies  with  htm.  He  received  from  him  a  cloak  of  long 
fur,  and  offered  him  in  exchange  the  Gourgand  watch,  which  Coignet,  stationed  at 
some  distance  doubtless,  took  for  a  casket  studded  with  diamonds.  The  watch  was 
a  very  handsome  one. 


228       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

a  magnificent  public  building.  As  we  turned^to  the  right  we 
were  assailed  by  a  perfect  hail  of  shot,  fired  from  the  windows 
of  the  arsenal.  We  wheeled  about ;  the  doors  were  burst 
open,  and  we  found  the  ground  floor  and  first  story  filled  with 
drunken  soldiers  and  peasants.  A  carnage  ensued;  those 
who  escaped  were  put  into  the  church.  I  lost  my  horse  there. 
After  this  affray,  Prince  Murat  continued  his  march,  and  de- 
scended into  the  lower  town  in  order  to  pass  out  of  the  city 
and  reach  the  road  to  Kalouga. 

I  left  the  prince  at  the  Kremlin,  and  went  to  carry  out  my 
orders.  My  interpreter  took  me  to  the  magistrates  to  have  my 
gendarmes  lodged,  and  afterward  conducted  me  to  the  palace. 
The  interpreter  must  have  said  very  fine  things  to  them  about 
me,  for  refreshments  were  offered  me  immediately,  and  it  was 
there  that  I  drank  tea  with  rum  in  it,  for  the  first  time.  I 
was  lodged  in  the  house  of  a  Russian  general,  and  with  me, 
four  gendarmes  and  the  interpreter.  I  went  with  the  guards 
to  examine  the  subterranean  passages,  and  then  went  up 
again  into  the  palace.  One  could  easily  get  lost  there.  I 
posted  my  gendarmes,  and  had  their  food  provided  for  them 
by  the  gentlemen  who  had  received  me  so  kindly.  I  and  my 
guide  were  invited  into  a  smoking-room.  I  do  not  know  what 
effect  my  one-cornered  hat  had  upon  them,  but  they  all  gazed 
at  it,  and  wanted  to  touch  it. 

I  returned  to  the  tomb  of  the  czars.  I  was  surprised  to  see 
at  the  foot  of  this  gigantic  monument  a  bell  of  immense  size. 
I  was  told  that  it  fell  from  the  top  of  the  framework,  and  was 
thus  implanted  here.  The  circumference  of  this  bell  has  been 
decorated  so  as  to  mark  it  as  an  unusual  monument ;  it  is 
surrounded  by  bricks,  placed  so  that  it  can  be  seen.  I  climbed 
up  into  the  tomb  of  the  emperors,  and  saw  the' bell  which 
occupies  the  place  of  the  one  of  which  I  have  just  spoken ;  it 
also  is  monstrous ;  the  clapper  is  something  unheard  of. 
Thousands  of  names  are  inscribed  upon  this  bell. 

A  beautiful  street  leading  from  the  Kremlin  opens  upon  a 
fine  boulevard  surrounded  by  handsome  palaces.  This  part 
of  the  city  was  not  burned,  and  became  our  place  of  refuge. 

When  I  had  fulfilled  the  duty  which  had  been  assigned  me, 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  229 

I  waited  for  the  Emperor,  but  in  vain  ;  he  did  not  come.  He 
had  set  up  his  headquarters  in  the  faubourg ;  the  guard  took 
possession  of  the  palace,  and  relieved  my  four  gendarmes.  As 
I  was  crossing  the  square  of  the  Kremlin,  I  met  some  soldiers 
loaded  with  fur  robes  and  bear-skins  ;  I  stopped  them,  and 
offered  to  buy  their  handsome  sable  robes.  "  How  much  is 
this  one  ?  "  —  "  Forty  francs."  I  took  it  immediately,  and 
paid  him  the  price  he  asked.  "  And  this  bear-skin  ?  " 
—  "  Forty  francs."  —  "  Here  they  are."  What  good  luck  it 
was  thus  to  obtain  these  two  things  of  such  inestimable  value 
to  me.  I  went  off  with  my  gendarmes  to  the  house  of  my 
Russian  general.  The  Emperor  was  obliged  to  leave  his 
headquarters  in  the  faubourg  during  the  night,  and  establish 
himself  in  the  Kremlin,  in  consequence  of  a  fire  which  broke 
out  in  both  of  the  lower  towns.  It  must  have  required  a 
great  many  persons  to  set  fire  to  all  parts  of  the  town  at  the 
same  time.  It  was  said  that  all  the  galley-slaves  took  part 
in  it ;  each  man  had  a  street,  and  went  from  house  to  house, 
setting  them  on  fire.  We  were  obliged  to  escape  into  the 
squares  and  large  gardens.  Seven  hundred  of  these  incendi- 
aries were  arrested,  tinder  in  hand,  and  taken  to  the  vaults  of 
the  Kremlin.  This  fire  was  rendered  more  frightful  by  the 
wind  which  blew  the  roofing  of  sheet-iron  off  the  palaces  and 
churches  ;  all  the  people,  as  well  as  the  troops,  found  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  the  fire.  The  wind  was  terrible  ;  the 
sheets  of  iron  were  blown  two  leagues  through  the  air.  There 
were  eight  hundred  fire-engines  in  Moscow,  but  they  had  all 
been  carried  away. 

About  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night  we  heard  screams  in  the 
gardens,  and,  going  to  see,  found  that  our  soldiers  were  rob- 
bing the  women  of  their  shawls  and  ear-rings.  We  hastened 
to  put  a  stop  to  the  pillage.  Two  or  three  thousand  women 
were  there,  with  their  children  in  their  arms,  looking  upon 
the  horrors  of  the  fire,  and  I  am  sure  I  never  saw  one  of  them 
shed  a  tear. 

The  Emperor  was  obliged  to  withdraw  on  the  evening  of 
the  16th,  and  establish  himself  at  the  castle  of  Petrowskoi, 
about  a  league  from  Moscow.     The  army  also  left  the  city, 


230       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  CO 1 G NET. 

which  was  thus  abandoned  to  pillage  and  fire.  The  Emperor 
remained  four  days  at  Petrowskoi,  awaiting  the  end  of  the 
burning  of  Moscow ;  he  re-entered  that  city  on  the  20th  of 
September,  and  again  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  Kremlin, 
and  the  minor-staff,  to  which  I  belonged,  was  stationed  near 
the  ramparts  at  a  short  distance  from  the  Kremlin.  I  was 
employed  as  assistant,  with  two  of  my  comrades,  to  a  colonel 
of  the  staff,  who  had  charge  of  the  clearing  of  the  hospitals. 

We  were  lodged  in  the  house  of  a  princess,  all  four  of  us, 
with  our  horses  and  our  servants  ;  the  colonel  had  three  serv- 
ants of  his  own,  and  he  kept  them  well  employed.  He  used 
to  send  us  into  the  hospitals  to  have  the  sick  discharged,  but 
never  went  himself.  He  stayed  to  attend  to  his  own  affairs. 
He  would  go  out  in  the  evening  with  three  servants  furnished 
with  wax  tapers ;  he  knew  that  the  pictures  in  the  churches 
were  all  in  relief  on  plaques  of  silver,  so  he  took  them  down, 
in  order  to  get  this  silver  plate  ;  put  the  saints  into  a  crucible, 
and  reduced  them  to  ingots,  which  he  sold  to  the  Jews  for 
bank-notes.  He  was  a  hard-looking  man  with  a  base  counte- 
nance. 

We  had  thousands  of  bottles  of  Bordeaux  wine,  champagne, 
and  thousands  of  pounds  of  white  and  brown  sugar.  Every 
evening  the  old  princess  sent  us  four  bottles  of  good  wine  and 
some  sugar.  Her  cellars  were  full  of  casks.  She  came  fre- 
quently to  see  us,  and  consequently  her  house  was  respected. 
She  spoke  good  French.  One  evening  the  colonel  showed  us 
his  purchases,  or,  rather,  his  stolen  goods,  for  he  was  always 
going  around  with  his  three  servants.  He  showed  us  some 
beautiful  fur  robes  made  of  the  skins  of  the  Siberian  fox.  I 
had  the  imprudence  to  show  him  mine,  and  he  compelled  me 
to  exchange  it  with  him  for  one  of  the  Siberian-fox.  Mine 
was  of  sable,  but  I  had  to  submit.  I  feared  his  vengeance. 
He  was  rascal  enough  to  take  it  from  me,  and  sell  it  to  Prince 
Murat  for  three  thousand  francs.  This  robber  of  the  churches 
was  a  disgrace  to  the  name  of  Frenchman.  I  saw  him  after- 
wards at  Wilna,  frozen  to  death.  God  punished  him.  His 
servants  robbed  his  body. 

All   the   hospitals   in   Moscow   were   under    round   vaults. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  231 

Russians  and  Frenchmen  died  together  in  these  infected 
places.  Evevy  morning  the  wagon's  were  loaded  with  the 
dead;  and  I  had  to  see  that  they  were  buried,  having  them 
dumped  from  the  wagons  into  holes  twenty  feet  deep.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  such  a  sight.  After  the  fire  was  over, 
a  list  was  made  out  of  the  burned  houses ;  it  numbered  ten 
thousand;  and  the  palaces  and  churches  burned  were  more 
than  five  hundred.  All  that  remained  of  them  were  the 
chimneys  and  the  stoves,  which  were  very  large.  They  looked 
like  a  forest  which  had  been  lopped  off,  and  only  the  stumps 
left.  The  ground  might  have  been  ploughed  up,  for  there  was 
not  one  stone  left  upon  another. 

The  palaces  filled  the  city  with  parks,  brooks,  and  conserva- 
tories, so  large  as  to  contain  trees  of  considerable  height,  and 
bearing  fruit  in  winter.  This  was  one  of  the  luxuries  of 
Moscow.  The  losses  could  not  be  estimated.  No  one  can 
imagine  a  sadder  scene. 

When  my  wretched  task  was  completed,  I  had  a  few  days' 
rest.  My  general  said  to  me,  "  I  shall  keep  you  near  me ;  you 
shall  not  leave  me  any  more,  and  you  shall  eat  at  my  table. 
You  have  suffered  a  great  deal  in  the  service  of  the  evacuation 
of  the  hospitals.  Now  you  shall  rest."  I  was  fortunate  to  be 
under  such  a  general.  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  see  that  our 
horses  were  provided  for,  and  seat  myself  at  the  table.  My 
general  had  twelve  covers  ;  and,  as  his  aide-de-camp  was  a  little 
lazy,  I  said  to  him,  "  Do  not  worry  yourself ;  I  will  attend  to 
everything."  Thus  all  went  well  at  our  quarters.  We  had 
provisions  enough  for  the  winter,  both  for  ourselves  and  our 
horses.  I  was  not  exempt  from  the  duty  of  carrying  de- 
spatches, however,  when  my  turn  should  come.  The  Emperor 
held  reviews  every  day.  He  sent  off  trophies  from  Moscow, 
among  them  the  cross  from  the  tomb  of  the  czars.  It  was  a 
sight,  that  scaffolding  erected  to  take  down  the  cross.  Men 
on  it  looked  like  dwarfs.  This  cross  was  thirty  feet  high, 
and  was  of  solid  silver.  All  the  trophies  were  packed  in 
large  wagons,  and  sent  tc  General  Claparede  with  a  battalion 
of  men  as  escort,  and  he  consequently  was  the  first  to  start 
out  on  the  retreat.     The  Jews  informed  our  soldiers  of  the 


232       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


hiding-places  dug  in  the  ground.  Their  cupidity  caused  great 
wrong  to  be  done  to  the  unfortunate  people.  No  one  in  the 
army  put  any  stop  to  the  robbery.     It  was  dreadful  to  see  it. 

I  was  sent  to  a  village,  eighteen  or  twenty  leagues  from 
Moscow,  to  carry  orders  to  Prince  Murat.  I  came  upon  a 
body  of  cavalry  in  retreat,  —  our  men,  on  bare-back  horses. 
They  had  been  surprised  while  grooming  their  horses.  I 
could  not  find  Prince  Murat ;  he  had  run  off  in  his  shirt.  It 
was  pitiful  to  see  those  fine  cavaliers  running  for  their  lives. 
I  asked  for  the  prince.  "  He  is  captured,"  they  replied  ;  "  they 
took  him  in  his  bed."     And  I  could  learn  nothing  further.1 

The  Emperor  heard  of  it  at 
once  through  Nansouty's 
aides-de-camp,  and  on  my 
return  from  this  miserable 
mission,  I  found  the  army 
en  route  to  aid  Murat.  I 
was  half  dead,  and  my 
horse  could  no  longer  walk. 
Fortunately,  my  servant 
procured  me  two  more  very 
_  good  ones,  and  I  was  re- 
mounted. The  Emperor 
had  ordered  that  his  house- 
hold and  all  his  bureaus 
should  be  sent  from  Moscow  on  the  23d  of  October,  and  join 
him  at  MojaTsk.  It  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  the 
rapidity  of  the  execution  of  his  orders.  The  preparations  for 
this  move  were  completed  in  three  hours.  We  went  to  the 
house  of  our  princess,  and  there  we  found  some  good  horses, 
which  had  been  concealed  in  a  cellar.  We  mounted  two 
superb  ones,  and  immediately  hitched  them  to  a  fine  carriage. 
While  this  was  being  done,  I  got  the  provisions  ready  :  about 
ten  loaves  of  sugar,  a  good-sized  box  of  tea,  some  elegant  cups, 
and  a  boiler.     We  had  a  carriage-load  of  provisions. 


1  On  the  18th  of  October  a  Russian  attack  did  in  fact  endanger  our  cavalry  reserve, 
and  Murat  came  near  being  captured.  Next  day  the  French  army  began  to  evacuate 
Moscow. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  233 

At  three  o'clock  we  left  Moscow.  It  was  scarcely  possible 
to  make  our  way,  for  the  road  was  blocked  up  with  carriages, 
and  all  the  army  plunderers  were  there  in  great  numbers. 
When  we  had  gone  about  three  leagues  from  Moscow  we 
heard  a  tremendous  report.1  The  shock  was  so  terrible  that 
the  earth  shook  under  our  feet.  It  was  said  that  there  were 
sixty  tons  of  powder 2  under  the  Kremlin,  with  seven  trains 
of  powder,  and  some  sort  of  contrivance  fixed  on  the  casks. 
Our  seven  hundred  brigands,  who  had  been  captured  with 
tinder  in  their  hands,  met  their  just  punishment.  They  were 
all  galley-slaves. 

There  was  a  line  of  carriages  on  the  road  twelve  leagues 
long.  By  the  time  I  had  reached  our  first  halting-place,  I  had 
had  carriage  enough.  I  had  all  our  provisions  put  on  horses, 
and  burned  up  the  carriage.  After  that  we  could  pass  every- 
where. It  was  with  the  greatest  possible  difficulty  that  we  at 
last  reached  the  headquarters  beyond  Mojai'sk.  The  next  day 
the  Emperor  went  over  the  battle-field  of  the  Moskwa,  and 
groaned  at  seeing  the  dead  still  unburied.  On  the  31st  of 
October,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  he  reached  Wiazma. 
The  Russian  winter  set  in  with  all  its  severity  on  the  6th  of 
November.  The  Emperor  made  frequent  marches  in  the 
midst  of  his  guard,  following  his  carriage  on  foot,  with  an 
iron-shod  cane  in  his  hand ;  and  we  went  along  the  side  of 
the  road  with  the  cavalry  officers.  In  a  dispirited  condition 
we  reached  Smolensk  on  the  9th  of  November.  The  halting- 
places  were  miserably  supplied  ;  the  horses  died  of  hunger  and 
cold,  and  when  we  came  to  any  cottages,  they  devoured  the 
thatches.  The  cold  was  already  intense,  seventeen  degrees 
below  zero.  This  occasioned  great  losses  to  the  army. 
Smolensk  and  the  environs  were  filled  with  the  dead.  I 
took  every  possible  care  of  myself.  Our  horses  fell  down 
upon  the  ice.  As  we  were  passing  a  camping-place,  I  got  hold 
of  two  axes,  and  took  the  shoes  off  my  horses,  and  they  did 

1  There  were  at  least  five  reports.  Mortier  had  been  left  at  Moscow  with  instruc. 
tions  to  blow  up  the  Kremlin.  The  despatch  announcing  the  execution  of  this  order 
reached  Napoleon  on  the  27th  of  October. 

1  There  were  much  more  than  sixty  tons  —  180,000  pounds.  (See  the  ItineVaire  of 
Baron  Denize.) 


234       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

not  slip  any  more.  I  had  furnished  myself  with  a  little  pot 
for  making  tea.  When  we  reached  the  place  where  the 
Emperor  stopped,  I  built  a  good  fire,  put  my  general  in  front 
of  it  to  thaw  himself,  and  then  put  the  boiler  on  the  fire  to 
melt  some  snow.  What  bad  water  snow  makes  when  melted 
in  the  midst  of  smoke  !  When  my  water  was  boiling,  I  put  in 
a  handful  of  tea.  I  cut  up  the  sugar,  and  then  the  pretty 
cups  did  service.  We  had  our  tea  every  day.  All  the  way  to 
Wilna  I  did  not  want  for  friends ;  they  followed  my  boiler, 
and  I  had  ten  loaves  of  sugar.  They  were  three  captains,  and 
death  only  separated  us,  which  means  that  I  alone  am  left 
alive. 

I  followed  my  general,  always  as  near  as  possible  to  the  old 
guard  and  the  Emperor.  When  we  were  attacked  by  the 
Russians,  it  was  necessary  to  concentrate  as  much  as  possible. 
Every  day  the  Cossacks  burst  out  with  shouts  on  the  road, 
but,  as  our  men  were  armed,  they  dared  not  approach  us ;  they 
merely  stationed  themselves  along  the  road  to  see  us  pass. 
But  they  slept  in  good  quarters,  and  we  on  the  snow.  We 
left  Smolensk  with  the  Emperor  on  the  14th  of  November. 
On  the  22d  he  learned  that  the  Cossacks  had  just  seized  upon 
the  tete  de  pont  at  Borisow,  and  that  we  should  have  to  effect 
the  passage  of  the  Beresina.  We  came  out  past  the  great 
bridge  which  the  Russians  had  half  burned ;  they  were  on  the 
other  side  waiting  for  us  in  the  woods  and  in  the  snow.  Though 
we  had  not  exchanged  fire  once,  we  were  already  in  great  des- 
titution. At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  of  No- 
vember the  right-hand  bridge  was  finished,  and  the  Emperor 
immediately  ordered  the  Duke  of  Reggio's  corps  and  Marshal 
Ney  with  the  cuirassiers  to  cross  over  before  him.  The  artil- 
lery of  the  guard  went  over  with  their  two  corps,  and  crossed 
a  marsh,  which  was  fortunately  frozen.  In  order  to  be  able 
to  reach  a  village,  they  drove  the  Russians  back  into  the  woods 
on  the  left,  and  thus  gave  the  army  time  to  cross,  on  the  27th. 
The  Emperor  crossed  the  Beresina  at  one  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  took  up  his  headquarters  in  a  little  hamlet.  The 
army  continued  to  cross  the  river  during  the  nights  of  the 
27th  and  28th.     The  Emperor  sent  for  Marshal  Davout,  and 


SEVENTH  NOTE-HOOK.  235 

I  was  appointed  to  guard  the  head  of  the  bridge,  and  allow 
only  the  artillery  and  ammunition  to  go  over.  The  marshal 
was  on  the  right  side  and  I  on  the  left.  When  all  the  ammu- 
nition had  gone  over,  the  marshal  said  to  me,  "  Come  on,  my 
brave  fellow;  come,  let  us  rejoin  the  Emperor."  We  crossed 
the  bridge  and  the  frozen  marsh;  it  was  strong  enough  to 
bear  our  ammunition,  without  which  all  would  have  been  lost. 

During  our  wearisome  watch,  Marshal  Ney  had  driven  off 
the  Russians,  who  came  back  again  in  order  to  cut  off  our 
route.  Our  troops  had  surprised  them  in  the  midst  of  the 
wood,  and  that  battle  cost  them  dear.  Our  brave  cuirassiers 
brought  them  back  all  covered  with  blood ;  it  was  pitiful  to 
see  them.  We  came  to  a  beautiful  plateau.  The  Emperor  re- 
viewed the  prisoners.  .  The  snow  fell  so  heavily  that  every 
one  was  covered  with  it ;  we  could  not  see  one  another. 

But  behind  us  a  frightful  scene  was  being  enacted.  After 
we  had  left  the  bridge  the  Russians  directed  the  fires  of  their 
batteries  upon  the  crowd1  which  surrounded  the  bridges. 
From  our  position  we  could  see  these  unfortunate  creatures 
rush  for  the  bridges  ;  then  the  wagons  overturned,  and  all 
were  swallowed  up  under  the  ice.  No  one  could  give  any 
idea  of  this  sight.  The  bridges  were  burned  the  next  day  at 
half-past  eight  o'clock.  Immediately  after  reviewing  the 
prisoners,  the  Emperor  sent  for  me.  "  Start  at  once ;  carry 
these  orders  by  the  road  to  Wihia ;  here  is  a  guide  upon  whom 
you  can  rely.  Make  every  effort  to  get  there  by  daybreak  to- 
morrow." He  had  my  guide  questioned.  A  reward  was  given 
him  in  my  presence,  and  to  each  of  us  was  given  a  good 
Russian  horse.  I  set  out  on  a  fine  road,  white  with  snow*  but 
where  there  was  scarcely  anything  else :  our  horses  did  not 
slip.  At  night  we  came  to  a  wood,  and,  as  a  precaution,  I  tied 
a  strong  twine  string  around  my  guide's  neck,  lest  he  should 
get  away  from  me.  He  said  to  me,  "  Tac,  tar"  which  meant 
"That  is  a  good  idea."     At  last  I  had  the  good   fortune  to 


1  This  crowd  was  composed  of  stragglers  who  had  refused  to  cross  on  the  preced- 
ing days,  and  who  were  bivouacking  on  the  bank.  It  took  the  Russian  cannon  to 
make  them  start.  The  precise  details  of  the  passage  are  to  be  found  in  the  very  in- 
teresting narrative  of  Colonels  Chappelle  and  Chapuis.    (Versailles,  1844.) 


236       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


reach  my  destination  without  any  mishap.  I  dismounted,  and 
my  guide  introduced  me  to  the  mayor,  who  had  our  horses 
put  in  a  barn.  I  gave  him  my  despatches ;  he  offered  me  a 
glass  of  schnapps,  and,  first  tasting  it  himself,  he  said, 
"Drink,"  in  French.  He  broke  the  seal  of  my  package,  and 
said  to  me,  "  I  could  not  possibly  collect  the  immense  quantity 
of  provisions  which  your  sovereign  demands  of  me  within 
three  leagues  of  this  city.  There  is  a  great  deal  in  my  dio- 
cese, but  it  would  require  a  month  to  do  it."  —  "  That  is  none 
of  my  business."  —  "  All  right,"  said  he,  "I  will  do  my  best." 

But  he  had  no 
time  to  say  more. 
The  man  who 
had  taken  my 
horse  to  the  barn 
began  to  scream, 
"  Cossacks,  Cos- 
sacks ! "  I  ex- 
pected  to  be 
captured.  The 
worthy  mayor  led 
me  out  of  his 
cabinet  into  an 
ante-chamber, 
turned  suddenly 
to  the  right,  and, 
taking  me  by  the  shoulders  and  telling  me  to  stoop,  pushed 
me  into  the  oven.  I  had  no  time  for  reflection.  The  oven 
was  close  to  the  ground  under  a  vault,  very  long  and  deep ; 
it  was  already  lighted,  but  was  not  too  warm,  and  so  I  could 
stand  it.  I  had  no  time  to  go  back.  I  knelt  down  on  my 
right  knee,  and  stayed.  I  was  in  a  state  of  great  anxiety. 
This  kind  mayor  had  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  take  some 
wood  and  put  it  in  front  of  the  entrance  to  the  oven,  so  as  to 
conceal  me.  This  was  no  sooner  done  than  some  officers 
entered  the  mayor's  house  ;  but  they  passed  by  the  door  of 
the  oven  where  I  was  awaiting  my  fate.  The  minutes  seemed 
ages  ;  my  hair  stood  on  end ;  I  thought  I  was  lost.  How 
long  time  seems  when  one  is  in  suspense  ! 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  237 

At  last  I  heard  all  the  officers  leave  the  cabinet,  and  pass  by 
my  place  of  refuge.  A  terrible  shuddering  seized  me.  I 
thought  I  was  lost ;  but  Providence  watched  over  me.  They 
had  seized  upon  my  despatches,  and  had  gone  to  join  their 
regiment  at  the  end  of  the  village  so  as  to  go  to  the  place  in- 
dicated in  my  despatches.  (I  learned  afterwards  that  the 
Emperor  had  sacrificed  me  in  order  to  have  my  despatches 
captured  and  deceive  the  enemy.)  The  worthy  maire  came 
to  me:  "Come  out,"  said  he,  "the  Russians  have  gone  off 
with  your  despatches,  and  to  stop  the  advance  of  your  army. 
Your  road  is  open." 

When  I  got  out  of  the  oven,  I  threw  my  arms  around  that 
generous  man's  neck,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  shall  inform  my 
sovereign  of  your  conduct."  After  having  taken  a  glass  of 
schnapps,  he  gave  me  some  bread,  which  I  put  into  my  pocket. 
I  found  my  horse  at  the  gate,  and,  starting  off  at  a  gallop,  I 
flew  like  the  wind  for  a  league.  At  last  I  began  to  go  more 
moderately,  for  my  horse  was  giving  out.  I  thought  no  more 
of  my  guide  who  was  left  in  the  village.  What  joy  when  I 
came  in  reach  of  our  scouts  !  I  began  to  breathe  freely,  and 
cried  out,  "  Saved,  saved ! "  and  then  I  felt  for  my  piece  of 
bread,  and  devoured  it.  The  army  was  marching  silently; 
the  horses  slipped,  for  the  roads  had  been  made  smooth  by 
the  tramping  of  the  troops.  The  cold  became  more  and  more 
intense.  At  last  I  came  up  to  the  Emperor  and  his  staff ;  I 
went  up  to  him,  hat  in  hand.  "  So  here  you  are  !  And  your 
mission  ?  "  —  "  It  is  accomplished,  sire."  —  "  What !  they 
did  not  capture  you  ?  And  your  despatches,  where  are  they  ?  " 
—  "  In  the  hands  of  the  Cossacks."  —  "  What !  Come  nearer. 
What  do  you  say  ?  "  —  "I  have  told  you  the  truth.  When  I 
reached  the  mayor's  house  I  gave  him  my  despatches,  and  a 
moment  after  the  Cossacks  arrived,  and  the  mayor  hid  me  in 
his  oven."  —  "In  his  oven?"  —  "Yes,  sire;  ami  I  was  not 
very  comfortable  ;  they  passed  right  by  me  when  they  went 
into  the  mayor's  cabinet ;  they  took  my  despatches,  and  ran 
off."  —  "It  is  strange,  my  old  grumbler,  how  you  escaped 
being  captured."  —  "The  brave  mayor  saved  me."  —  "  I  shall 
see  him,  this  Russian." 


238       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

He  related  my  adventure  to  his  generals,  and  said,  "  Set  him 
down  for  a  week's  rest,  and  pay  his  expenses  double.'7  I 
rejoined  General  Monthyon,  and  found  my  horses  and  sugar 
safe.  I  was  half  dead  of  hunger.  That  night  we  came  to 
a  place  about  a  mile  from  where  my  despatches  had  been 
taken  by  the  Cossacks.  He  sent  for  the  mayor,  and  had  a 
conference  with  him.  The  mayor  conducted  him  to  within  a 
league  of  his  village,  and  I  gave  him,  as  he  passed  me,  a  good 
grasp  of  the  hand.  "  I  love  the  French,"  said  he.  "Farewell, 
brave  officer."  To  this  day  I  bless  that  man  who  saved  my 
life. 

The  cold  continued  to  grow  more  intense ;  the  horses  in  the 
bivouacs  died  of  hunger  and  cold.  Every  day  some  were  left 
where  we  had  passed  the  night.  The  roads  were  like  glass. 
The  horses  fell  down,  and  could  not  get  up.  Our  worn-out 
soldiers  no  longer  had  strength  to  carry  their  arms.  The 
barrels  of  their  guns  were  so  cold  that  they  stuck  to  their 
hands.  It  was  twenty-eight  degree^  below  zero.  But  the 
guard  gave  up  their  knapsacks  and  guns  only  with  their  lives. 
In  order  to  save  our  lives,  we  had  to  eat  the  horses  which  fell 
upon  the  ice.  The  soldiers  opened  the  skin  with  their  knives, 
and  took  out  the  entrails,  which  they  roasted  on  the  coals,  if 
they  had  time  to  make  a  fire,  and,  if  not,  they  ate  them  raw. 
They  devoured  the  horses  before  they  died.  I  also  ate  this 
food  as  long  as  the  horses  lasted.  As  far  as  Wilna,  we 
travelled  by  short  stages  with  the  Emperor.  His  whole 
staff  marched  along  the  sides  of  the  road.  The  men  of  the 
demoralized  army  marched  along  like  prisoners,  without  arms 
and  without  knapsacks.  There  was  no  longer  any  discipline 
or  any  human  feeling  for  one  another.  Each  man  looked  out 
for  himself.  Every  sentiment  of  humanity  was  extinguished. 
No  one  would  have  reached  out  his  hand  to  his  father ;  and  that 
can  be  easily  understood.  For  he  who  stooped  down  to  help  his 
fellow  would  not  be  able  to  rise  again.  We  had  to  march 
right  on,  making  faces  to  prevent  our  noses  and  ears  from 
freezing.  The  men  became  insensible  to  every  human  feeling. 
No  one  even  murmured  against  our  misfortunes.  The  men  fell 
frozen  stiff  all  along  the  road.     If,  by  chance,  any  of  them 


"On  the  retreat  from  Moscow  we   marehed   more   than  forty   leagues 
without  knapsacks  or  guns."  —  Page  239. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK,  239 

camo  upon  a  bivouac  of  other  unfortunate  creatures  who  were 
thawing  themselves,  the  new-comers  pitilessly  pushed  them 
aside,  and  took  possession  of  their  fire.  The  poor  creatures 
would  then  he  down  to  die  upon  the  snow.  One  must  have 
seen  these  horrors  in  order  to  believe  them.  I  can  certify 
that  on  the  retreat  from  Moscow  we  marched  more  than  forty 
leagues  without  knapsacks  or  guns.  But  it  was  at  Wilna 
that  we  suffered  most.  The  weather  was  so  severe  that  the 
men  could  no  longer  endure  it ;  even  the  ravens  froze. 

During  this  fearful  cold,  I  was  sent  to  the  general  who  had 
charge  of  the  trophies  taken  at  Moscow,  with  an  order  to  have 
them  turned  over  into  the  lake  to  the  right  of  our  route.  At 
the  same  time  the  treasure  was  abandoned  to  the  stragglers.1 
Those  miserable  creatures  seized  upon  it,  and  burst  open  the 
casks.  Three-fourths  of  them  were  frozen  to  death  beside 
their  plunder.  Their  burdens  were  so  heavy  that  they  fell. 
I  rejoined  my  post  after  the  greatest  possible  difficulty,  and 
that  I  did  so  was  owing  to  my  unshod  horse,  which  did  not 
slide.  I  am  sure  that  a  man  reduced  to  the  same  condition  of 
weakness  could  not  have  been  able  to  carry  five  hundred 
francs.  I  had  seven  hundred  francs  of  my  savings  in  my 
portmanteau.  My  horse  was  so  weak  that  he  began  to  go  to 
sleep.  I  perceived  this,  and,  taking  my  bag,  I  went  to  see 
my  old  grumblers  in  their  bivouac,  and  proposed  to  them 
to  rid  me  of  my  seven  hundred  francs.  "  Give  me  twenty 
francs  in  gold,  and  I  will  give  you  twenty -five  francs."  They 
all  did  so  with  pleasure,  and  I  was  unburdened,  for  I  would 
have  left  them  on  the  spot.  All  my  fortune  now  consisted  of 
eighty-three  napoleons,  and  this  saved  my  life. 

At  Smorgoni  the  Emperor  bade  farewell,  before  leaving  the 
army,  to  such  of  the  general  officers  as  he  could  gather  around 
hi  in.  He  left  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  accompanied 
by  Generals  Duroc,  Mouton,  and  Caulaincourt.  We  remained 
under  the  command  of  the  3ving  of  Naples,  disconcerted  enough, 

*  At  KltwnoC  the  enemy  luul  already  raptured  twelve  hundred  and  ninety-four 
thousand  franes.  At  Wilna  nothing  would  have  been  Mvcd  hut  for  the  energy  and 
honesty  of  a  German  officer  (of  lladen  or  Wiirttemberg\  who  put  four  hundred 
thousand  francs  in  gold  on  nil  lleigh,  and  came  and  honeftly  deposited  them,ou  the 
24th  of  December,  at  Koenigsberg,  with  the  pnjmuuter  Of  the  army. 


240       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

for,  though  he  was  always  the  first  to  draw  a  sabre  or  brave 
danger,  he  may  truly  be  said  to  have  been  the  executioner 
of  our  cavalry.  He  kept  his  divisions  constantly  mounted  all 
along  the  route  ;  but  our  cavalry  were  dying  of  starvation,  and 
when  night  came,  the  unfortunate  soldiers  were  not  able  to 
use  their  horses  to  go  for  forage.  For  himself,  the  King  of 
Naples  had  twenty  or  thirty  relays  of  horses,  and  every  morn- 
ing he  started  out  on  a  fresh  one.  He  was,  indeed,  the 
handsomest  horseman  in  Europe  ;  but  without  foresight,  for 
it  was  not  a  question  of  being  an  intrepid  soldier,  but  of  being 
able  to  economize  his  resources.  He  lost  for  us  (I  heard  him 
say  so  to  Marshal  Davout)  forty  thousand  horses  through  his 
mismanagement.  It  is  always  wrong  to  blame  one's  officers ; 
but  the  Emperor  could  have  made  a  better  selection.  There 
were  among  our  leaders  two  warriors,  rivals  in  gloiy,  Mar- 
shal Ney  and  Prince  Beauharnais,  who  saved  us  from  the 
greatest  perils  by  their  coolness  and  courage. 

The  King  of  Naples  went  on  to  Wilna ;  he  arrived  there 
on  the  8th  of  December,  and  we  with  the  guard,  on  the  10th. 
It  was  night  when  we  came  to  the  gates  of  the  city,  which 
were  barricaded  with  pieces  of  wood.  We  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  entering.  I  and  my  comrade  were  lodged  in  a 
college,  well  warmed.  When  I  went  to  my  general  for  my 
orders,  he  said,  u  Be  ready  at  four  in  the  morning  to  leave  the 
city,  for  the  enemy  is  now  arriving  on  the  heights,  and  we 
shall  be  bombarded  at  daylight.  Do  not  lose  any  time."  As 
soon  as  I  returned  to  my  lodgings,  I  made  my  preparations  to 
leave.  I  awoke  my  comrade,  who  would  not  listen  to  me. 
He  had  got  thawed,  and  preferred  to  remain  in  the  enemy's 
hands.  At  three  o'clock  I  said  to  him,  "Let  us  go."  "No," 
said  he,  "  I  shall  remain."  —  "  Very  well,  1  shall  kill  you  if 
you  do  not  follow  me."  —  "  All  right ;  kill  me."  I  drew  my 
sabre,  and  gave  him  some  stout  blows  with  it,  thus  forcing 
him  to  follow  me.  I  loved  my  brave  comrade,  and  would  not 
leave  him  to  the  enemy. 

We  had  scarcely  got  ready  to  leave  when  the  Russians 
forced  the  Witepsk  gate  ;  we  had  barely  time  to  get  out. 
They  committed  the  most  horrible  acts  in  the  town.     All  the 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  241 

unfortunate  soldiers,  who  were  asleep  in  their  lodgings,  were 
murdered,  and  the  streets  \  tiwn  with  the  dead  bodies 

of  Frenchmen.  Here  the  Jews  were  the  executioners  of  our 
Frenchmen.  Fortunately,  the  intrepid  Ney  put  a  stop  to  the 
confusion.  The  right  and  left  wings  of  the  Russian  army  had 
passed  by  the  city,  and  saw  us  go  by ;  they  were  stopped  by 
a  few  rounds  from  our  guns,  but  the  rout  was  complete. 
When  we  reached  the  mountain  of  Wilna  the  confusion  was 
at  its  height.  All  the  ammunition  of  the  army  and  the 
Emperor's  carriages  were  on  the  ground.  The  soldiers 
helped  themselves  to  gold  and  silver  plate.  All  the  chests 
and  casks  were  burst  open.  What  a  quantity  of  plunder  was 
left  on  that  spot !  No,  a  thousand  times  no ;  never  was  there 
such  a  sight ! 

We  inarched  on  to  Kowno,  which  place  th«-  King  of  Naples 
reached  on  the  11th  of  December,  at  midnight;  he  left  there 
on  the  13th  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  went  to  Gum- 
binnen  with  the  guard.  In  spite  of  the  efforts  of  Marshal 
Ney,  seconded  by  General  Gerard,  Kowno  ftt  once  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Russians.  A  retreat  was  urgently  necessary; 
Marshal  Ney  effected  it  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  after  having 
destroyed  all  that  remained  of  our  artillery,  ammunition,  and 
provisions,  and  having  set  fire  to  the  bridges.  It  may  be  said 
in  praise  of  Marshal  Ney  that  he  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  at 
Kowno  by  his  own  bravery.  I  saw  him  take  a  gun  and  five 
men  and  face  the  enemy.1  The  country  ought  to  be  grateful 
for  such  men.  We  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  under  the 
command  of  Prince  Eugene,  who  made  every  effort  to  reunite 
our  scattered  forces.  At  Koenigsberg  we  came  upon  some 
Prussian  sentinels,  who  insulted  our  unfortunate  soldiers,  who 
were  without  arms ;  all  the  doors  were  closed  against  them, 
and  they  died  on  the  pavement  of  cold  and  hunger.  I  went 
at  once  with  my  two  comrades  to  the  town-hall.  No  one  was 
allowed  to  approach.  I  showed  my  decoration,  my  epaulets, 
and  was  allowed  to  enter  through  a  window.     Three  billets 

1  It  is  a  fact  that  Ney  and  Gerard,  musket  in  hand,  ensconced  behind  apalittde 
w it li  :i  handful  of  men,  for  several  hours  prevented  the  passage  of  the  bridge  of 
Kowno. 


242       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


for  lodgings  were  given  me,  and  we  had  the  best  apartments. 
No  one  spoke  to  us  ;  they  only  stared  at  us.  They  were  at 
dinner.  Seeing  this  indifference  on  their  part,  I  took  out 
twenty  francs,  and  said,  "  Have  something  got  for  us  to  eat ; 
we  will  give  you  twenty  francs  a  day."  —  "  All  right,"  said  the 
host.  "  I  will  have  a  fire  made  in  the  stove  in  this  room,  and 
give  you  some  straw  and  some  coverings." 

Some  broth  was  served  us  immediately,  and  we  were  fed 
for  thirty  francs  a  day,  not  including  the  coffee  (a  franc  for 

each  man).  This 
!  Prussian  was  kind 
enough  to  stable 
our  horses  and  feed 
them.  The  poor 
beasts  had  had  no 
hay  and  oats  since 
they  left  Wilna ; 
how  glad  they  were 
to  bite  in,to  a  bundle 
of  hay  !  And  we, 
so  happy  to  sleep 
on  some  straw  in  a 
warm  room. 

I  sent  at  once 
for  a  physician  and 
bootmaker  to  exam- 
ine my  left  foot, 
I  had  to  consult  a  physician,  so  as 
to  have  a  boot  made.  It  was  decided  to  have  one  made  lined 
with  rabbit  skin  and  to  leave  my  foot  a  prisoner  in  it,  after 
having  cut  my  boot  open  to  dress  my  foot.  "  Make '  the  boots 
this  night,"  said  I.  "I  will  give  you  twenty  francs."  — 
"  To-morrow,  at  eight  o'clock,  yon  shall  have  them."  So 
then  I  kept  my  boots  on.  The  next  day  the  doctor  and  boot- 
maker came ;  the  former  cut  open  my  boot,  and  there  was  my 
foot,  looking  like  a  new-born  baby's,  —  no  nails,  no  skin,  but 
in  a  perfect  condition.  "  You  are  all  right,"  said  the  doctor. 
He  had  the  host  and  his  wife  called  up.    "  Come,"  said  he, 


which  had  been  frozen. 


SEVENTH  NOTE-BOOK.  243 

"see  a  chicken's  foot.  I  must  have  some  linen  to  wrap  it 
up."  They  gave  me  very  willingly  some  fine  white  linen. 
My  foot  was  put  into  my  boot,  and  tightly  laced.  I  asked  the 
doctor  how  much  I  owed  him.  "  I  am  paid,"  said  he.  "  This 
service  is  free."  —  "  But "  —  "  No  buts,  if  you  please." 

I  held  out  my  hand  to  him.  "  I  will  tell  you,"  said  he, 
"  how  to  make  it  well.  Your  foot  will  be  very  sensitive  to 
heat  and  cold ;  do  not  expose  it  to  the  air ;  let  it  remain  a  long 
time  just  as  it  is,  but  when  the  season  for  strawberries  comes, 
take  and  mash  up  a  plateful  of  them,  at  least  two  or  three 
pounds,  and  make  a  compress,  and  bind  it  to  your  foot.  Con- 
tinue to  do  this  during  the  strawberry  season,  and  you  will 
never  feel  any  pain."  —  "  Thank  you,  doctor.  And  for  you, 
Mr.  Hatter,  here  are  twenty  francs."  —  "Not  so,"  said  he. 
u  My  expenses  only,  if  you  please."  —  "  How  much  ?  "  —  "  Ten 
francs."  — "  Why,  you  two  have  conspired  together."  — 
"  Well,"  said  two  of  my  comrades,  "  let  us  have  a  rum  punch." 
—  "No,"  said  they,  "time  is  precious,  we  must  return.  Fare- 
well, brave  Frenchman." 

I  followed  the  physician's  directions,  and  have  never  felt 
any  inconvenience  from  my  injury;  but  it  cost  me  twelve 
francs'  worth  of  strawberries. 

I  went  to  the  palace  to  take  Count  Monthyon's  orders; 
there  I  found  Prince  Eugene  and  Prince  Berthier.  Count 
Monthyon  said  to  the  minister  of  war,  "  I  wish  to  have  bag- 
gage-officer Con  taut  for  my  aide-de-camp,  and  to  have  his 
place  filled  by  Lieutenant  Coignet ;  he  is  a  good  business  man. 
I  need  him  to  rid  the  army  of  all  the  vehicles  which  are  need- 
less and  in  the  way." 

The  minister  immediately  appointed  me  baggage-master 
at  headquarters,  December  28,  1812.  I  no  longer  feared  to 
enter  the  line.  We  remained  at  Koenigsberg  a  few  days 
to  reunite  all  the  remnants  of  that  grand  army,  now  reduced  to 
a  small  corps.  We  started  on  the  march  to  Berlin,  which  had 
to  be  promptly  evacuated  so  as  to  fall  back  upon  Magdeburg. 
There  the  army  became  stationary  for  a  while.  On  the  Elbe, 
Prince  Eugene  reunited  the  army  in  a  fine  position.  Provis- 
ions were  distributed  every  night ;  he  looked  after  everything, 


244       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

and  never  allowed  three  days  to  pass  without  going  to  the 
out-posts  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy,  and  greeted  them,  every 
morning  for  three  months,  with  eight  pieces  of  cannon,  fifteen 
or  sixteen  thousand  infantry,  and  eight  hundred  cavalry. 
This  little  affair  over,  he  ordered  a  retreat,  always  bringing  up 
the  rear  himself  ;  he  never  left  one  man  behind  him.  Yet  he 
was  always  pleasant.  A  fine  soldier  on  the  field  of  honor. 
He  held  his  position  for  three  months  without  falling  back. 
I  received  the  following  letter  : 

I  send  you  enclosed  a  copy  of  the  Monitear,  which  contains  the  condi- 
tions prescribed  by  the  Emperor  with  regard  to  equipages  in  the  army. 
The  prince  viceroy  intends  to  issue  an  order  for  the  day  on  the  subject, 
but,  in  the  mean  time,  you  are  to  notify  those  persons  who  are  not  to  have 
carriages  hereafter,  that,  on  the  15th  of  this  month,  their  carriages  are 
to  be  burned. 

Signed:      The  general  of  division,  chief  of  the  major-general's  staff. 

CTE  MONTHYON. 

I  went  to  the  general's  office,  and  said  to  him,  "  This  is  a 
strict  order,  general."  —  "  I  am  going  to  rid  the  army  of  its 
incumbrances.  No  exceptions  are  to  be  made.  I  shall  give 
you  some  gendarmes,  and  all  the  carriages  which  are  not 
marked  with  plates  you  are  to  have  burned.  I  have  got  them  — 
those  army  plunderers ;  I  shall  take  away  their  stolen  horses, 
and  turn  them  over  to  our  artillery."  —  "  You  have  the  author- 
ity to  do  this,  but  it  will  be  a  stormy  duty  for  me."  —  "I  shall 
be  with  you  to  uphold  you.  Let  them  come  and  complain  ! 
I  will  receive  them.  Leave  them  their  pack-horses,  and  give 
the  rest  to  the  artillery.     Go  !  the  prince  depends  upon  you." 

I  received  orders  to  have  plates  of  steel  with  escutcheons 
on  them  made  for  those  who  had  a  right  to  keep  their  car- 
riages ;  their  names  and  titles  were  engraved  on  the  plates, 
and  also  their  rank  in  the  order  of  march.  These  plates  cost 
three  francs.  The  viceroy  himself  was  not  exempt  from  this 
order.  I  had  barely  time  enough  to  give  out  my  plates  before 
I  started  off.  I  said  to  myself,  "I  am  going  to  have  a  jolly 
time  disencumbering  the  army." 


^'^sMv^y^&r^  '"'^i 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


I     AM    APPOINTED    CAPTAIN.  CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813    AND    1814. 

THE     FAREWELLS     AT      FONTAINEBLEAU.  MY     VISIT     TO 

COULOMMIERS. 


The  general  bulletined  every  day  the  news  from  Paris  and 
from  the  army  which  was  being  organized.  The  Emperor 
arrived  in  order  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  viceroy,  but  his 
plans  miscarried :  the  Russians  and  Prussians  had  got  ahead 
of  him  by  forced  marches,  leaving  us  quiet  in  our  camp. 
They  passed  along  on  our  left  without  being  perceived,  over- 
took the  Emperor,  and  offered  him  battle.  When  he  found 
himself  attacked,  he  made  his  arrangements  for  defence,  and 
at  the  same  time  sent  one  of  his  aides-de-camp  galloping  as 
fast  as  possible  to  inform  Prince  Eugene  that  he  was  in  close 
combat.  The  latter  attacked  the  enemy's  flank,  and  forced 
him  to  fall  back  upon  the  road  to  Lutzen.  The  army  contin- 
ued its  march  on  Leipzig,  the  corps  of  Marshal  Ney  forming 
the  advance  guard.  On  the  2d  of  May  the  memorable  battle 
of  Lutzen  took  place,  the  success  of  whicli  was  due  to  the 
French  infantry,  and  chiefly  to  the  valor  of  our  young  con- 
scripts, entirely  unsupported  by  cavalry.     It  is  impossible  to 


246       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

give  any  idea  of  the  desperate  valor  of  our  troops.  Before 
Lutzen  all  the  wounded  were  carried  off  by  young  girls  and 
boys.  Thirty  couples  at  least  went  from  the  city  to  the  field 
of  battle,  and  returned  with  their  miserable  burdens,  only  to 
go  back  again  immediately.  I  saw  this  done,  and  it  ought  not 
to  be  left  unremarked;  those  boys  deserved  laurels  and  the 
girls  crowns. 

As  for  the  army  equipages,  I  had  them  collected  together  ac- 
cording to  orders,  with  a  strong  guard  of  picked  gendarmes  and 
all  the  grooms.  The  Emperor  warned  me  to  come  back  at 
night.  I  had  them  all  placed  in  a  square,  with  the  horses  in- 
side of  it,  and  the  wagons  touching  one  another  so  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  penetrate  it. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  about  noon,  the  army  entered  Dresden. 
On  the  12th  the  Emperor  went  to  meet  the  King  of  Saxony, 
who  was  returning  from  Prague,  to  which  he  had  retired,  and 
conducted  him  to  his  palace  amid  the  ringing  of  bells  and 
firing  of  cannon.  Before  reaching  Dresden,  I  received  an 
order  to  go  with  my  gendarmes  and  guard  the  bridge,  allowing 
no  equipages  to  pass  but  those  of  the  staff  and  the  canteens 
belonging  to  the  corps.  All  the  rest  were  unhitched  at  once, 
and  the  horses  put  aside.  The  most  curious  thing  was  to  see 
the  sergeants-major  on  horseback.  I  made  those  gentlemen 
dismount.  Consequently,  I  had  some  horses  ready  harnessed, 
not  to  speak  of  wagons  drawn  by  oxen.  I  turned  over  two 
hundred  horses  to  the  artillery,  who  had  first  choice ;  the  cav- 
alry took  the  rest  of  them ;  the  oxen  were  sent  to  the  great 
pen.  The  Jewish  gentlemen  offered  me  gold  for  them,  but 
I  gave  them  some  blows  on  their  backs  with  my  sabre-blade, 
and  said,  "  Go  take  that  to  the  kitchen." 

I  performed  my  duty  so  well  that  it  was  spoken  of  in  the 
cabinet  of  the  minister  of  war,  Prince  Berthier  and  General 
Monthyon  being  present.  He  said,  "  This  old  grumbler  is  mak- 
ing everybody  go  on  foot."  —  "  True,  my  prince  ;  but  he  turned 
all  the  horses  over  to  the  artillery."  —  "  Very  well,  I  appoint 
him  captain  in  the  general  staff  of  the  Emperor,  and  he  will 
continue  his  duties." 

That   night  I   returned  with  my  gendarmes  to   the  hotel 


Napoleon  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  seated  on  a  stool  in  front  of 
the  tent."  —  Page  248. 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  247 

where  ray  general  was.  He  began  to  laugh.  "Well,"  said 
he,  "  have  you  done  a  good  day's  work  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  general ; 
I  have  sent  some  good  horses  to  the  artillery."  — "  Let  us  go 
to  dinner."  When  we  were  seated  at  table,  he  said,  "  Captain, 
we  shall  mount  our  horses  to-morrow."  —  "  But,  general,  you 
said  'captain.'  "  —  "  Yes,  here  is  the  minister's  letter;  he  has 
appointed  you  on  account  of  what  I  have  told  him  of  you. 
Come,  embrace  your  general.  And  here  is  your  nomination 
awaiting  your  certificate  of  service."  —  "How  glad  I  am!" 
—  "  You  will  be  always  near  the  Emperor.  Try  to  procure 
some  captain's  epaulets  at  once."  —  "  But,  general,  how  can 
I  ? "  —  "I  have  given  a  lace-maker  permission  to  set  up  her 
shop  on  the  principal  street."  —  "I  will  go  and  see  her,  if 
you  will  permit  me."  —  "  Go,  my  brave  fellow."  —  "  General, 
in  my  joy  at  being  made  captain,  I  have  forgotten  to  tell  you 
that  I  sent  home  two  peasants  from  Lutzen,  with  their  wagons 
and  horses.  They  got  on  their  knees  to  me,  and  I  asked  them 
from  what  country  they  came ;  they  answered,  '  From  Lutzen.' 
Then  I  said  to  them,  '  Very  well,  I  grant  you  your  request  as 
a  reward  for  the  good  deeds  of  the  young  men  and  girls  of 
your  town,  who  took  up  all  our  wounded  men.  You  can 
choose  the  best  wagons  in  place  of  your  own,  and  go  along  the 
cross-roads  to  your  homes.  You  owe  this  to  the  good  conduct 
of  your  young  people.'  Did  I  do  right,  general  ?  "  —  "I  shall 
report  the  fact  to  the  minister.  I  approve  of  what  you  have 
done.  But  about  the  other  wagons  ?  "  —  "I  did  not  have 
them  burned ;  I  left  them  for  the  use  of  the  town.  Now, 
general,  that  is  what  I  did.  I  did  it  on  my  own  responsi- 
bility." —  "  You  have  done  well." 

The  next  day  I  appeared  at  table  with  my  fine  epaulets,  which 
cost  me  two  hundred  and  twenty  francs,  and  also  some  beau- 
tiful tassels  on  my  hat.  "  Ah,  how  handsome  they  are !  " 
people  said.     "  They  are  actually  the  epaulets  of  the  guard." 

On  the  19th  of  May  the  Emperor  appeared  before  Bautzen, 
and  prepared  for  a  battle  there.  On  the  20th  of  May  the 
cannonading  began  at  noon  and  lasted  until  five  o'clock  with- 
out interruption.  Two  hours  after,  the  battle  began  again  on 
a  larger  scale.     The  next  day,  the  21st  of  May,  the  enemy 


248       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

effected  a  retreat  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  On  the 
22d  of  May,  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  army  began  to 
march  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  The  Russians  were  over- 
whelmed by  Latour-Maubourg's  cavalry,  after  a  bloody  battle. 
The  cavalry  general,  Bruyere,  had  his  legs  carried  off  by  a 
cannon-ball.  As  we  were  in  pursuit  of  the  Russians  along 
the  highway,  we  received  two  shots  from  a  cannon  on  our 
right.  The  Emperor  stopped,  and  said  to  Marshal  Duroc, 
"  Go  and  see  about  that."  They  reached  an  eminence,  and 
the  marshal  was  struck  by  a  ricochet-ball.  The  general  of 
engineers  who  was  with  him  was  killed  on  the  spot.  Duroc 
lived  a  few  hours.  The  Emperor  ordered  the  guard  to  stop. 
The  tents  of  the  imperial  headquarters  were  set  up  in  a  field 
on  the  right  side  of  the  road.  Napoleon  went  inside  of  the 
square  of  the  guard,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  seated 
on  a  stool  in  front  of  his  tent,  his  hands  clasped  and  his  head 
bent  down.  We  all  stood  around  him  motionless  ;  he  pre- 
served the  most  mournful  silence.  "  Poor  man,"  said  the  old 
grenadiers,  "he  has  lost  his  children." 

When  it  was  quite  dark  the  Emperor  left  the  camp  accom- 
panied by  the  Prince  of  Neuchatel,  the  Duke  of  Vicenza,  and 
Dr.  Ivan.  He  wanted  to  see  Duroc,  and  embrace  him  for 
the  last  time.  When  he  returned  to  the  camp  he  walked  up 
and  down  in  front  of  his  tent.  No  one  dared  go  near  him  ; 
we  all  stood  around  him  with  bowed  heads. 

Peace  was  concluded  on  the  4th  of  June.  The  Emperor 
set  out  immediately  for  Dresden,  where  he  occupied  himself 
in  active  preparations  for  a  new  campaign.  On  the  10th  of 
August  the  armistice  was  broken.  The  allied  armies  formed 
an  effective  force  of  eight  hundred  thousand  combatants.  The 
forces  which  were  to  oppose  them  did  not  number  more  than 
three  hundred  and  twelve  thousand  men.  Several  engage- 
ments, in  which  the  enemy  lost  seven  thousand  men,  took 
place  in  the  three  days  of  the  21st,  22d,  and  23d  of  August. 

At  this  time  the  Emperor  received  news  from  Dresden, 
which  compelled  him  to  return  there  in  great  haste.  Marshal 
Gouvion  St.-Cyr's  corps  had  been  left  alone  in  charge  of  the 
defence  of  Dresden.     The  allies,  who  were  ignorant  of  Napo- 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  249 

leon's  return,  made  an  attack  on  the  26th  of  August,  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  enemy  was  repulsed.  He  lost 
four  thousand  men  and  two  thousand  prisoners  on  the  first 
day.  The  French  had  about  three  thousand  men  unfit  for 
service  ;  but  five  generals  of  the  guard  were  wounded.  The 
next  day,  the  27th,  an  attack  was  ordered.  The  rain  fell  in 
torrents ;  but  the  enthusiasm  of  our  soldiers  was  unabated. 
The  Emperor  directed  all  our  movements.  His  guard  was  on 
a  street  to  our  left,  and  could  not  go  out  of  the  city  without 
being  riddled  by  a  redoubt  defended  by  eight  hundred  men 
and  four  pieces  of  cannon. 

There  was  no  time  to  lose.  Their  shells  were  falling  in 
the  midst  of  the  city.  The  Emperor  called  up  a  captain  of 
fusileers  of  the  guard  named  Gagnard  (of  Avallon).  This 
brave  soldier  presented  himself  to  the  Emperor  with  his  face 
a  little  askew.  "  What  have  you  in  your  cheek  ?  "  —  "My  quid, 
sire."  —  "  Ah  !  you  chew  tobacco  ?"  —  "  Yes,  sire."  —  "  Take 
your  company,  and  go  and  take  that  redoubt  which  is  doing 
me  so  much  harm."  —  "  It  shall  be  done."  —  "  March  along 
the  palisades  by  the  flank,  then  charge  right  on  it.  Let  it  be 
carried  at  once  !  " 

My  good  comrade  set  off  at  a  double  quick  by  the  right 
flank.  Within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  barrier  of  the  redoubt 
his  company  halted ;  he  ran  to  the  barrier.  The  officer  who 
held  the  bar  of  the  two  gates,  seeing  him  alone,  thought  that 
he  was  going  to  surrender,  and  so  did  not  move.  My  jolly 
soldier  ran  his  sabre  through  his  body,  and  opened  the  barrier. 
His  company  made  two  leaps  into  the  redoubt,  and  forced 
them  to  surrender.  The  Emperor,  who  had  watched  the 
whole  affair,  said,  "  The  redoubt  is  taken."  The  rain  was 
falling  in  torrents.  They  surrendered  at  discretion,  and  my 
jolly  soldier  brought  them  to  the  rear,  surrounded  by  his 
company. 

I  hastened  to  my  comrade  (for  we  had  belonged  to  the  same 
company),  I  embraced  him,  and,  taking  him  by  the  arm,  I  led 
him  to  the  Emperor,  who  had  made  a  sign  to  Gagnard  to  come 
to  him.  "Well,  I  am  well  pleased  with  you.  You  shall  be 
put  with  my  old  grumblers :   your  first  lieutenant  shall  be 


250       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

made  captain;  your  second  lieutenant,  lieutenant;  and  your 
sergeant-major,  second  lieutenant.  Go,  guard  your  prisoners. " 
The  rain  was  falling  so  heavily  that  the  Emperor's  plumes 
drooped  upon  his  shoulders. 

As  soon  as  the  redoubt  was  taken,  the  old  guard  went  out 
of  the  city,  and  formed  a  line  of  battle.  All  our  troops  were 
in  line  in  the  low  grounds,  and  our  right  wing  rested  on  the 
road  to  France.  The  Emperor  sent  us  off  in  squads  of  three, 
to  carry  orders  for  the  attack  all  along  the  line.  I  was  sent 
to  the  division  of  cuirassiers.  On  my  return  from  my  mission, 
I  went  back  to  the  Emperor.  He  had  in  his  redoubt  a  very 
long  field-glass  on  a  pivot,  and  he  looked  through  it  every 
moment.  His  generals  also  looked  through  it,  while  he,  with 
his  small  glass  in  his  hand,  watched  the  general  movements. 
Our  right  wing  gained  some  ground ;  our  soldiers  became 
masters  of  the  road  to  France  ;  and  the  Emperor  took  his 
pinch  of  snuff  from  the  pocket  of  his  vest.  Suddenly,  casting 
his  eye  towards  the  heights,  he  shouted,  "  There  is  Moreau ! 
That  is  he  with  a  green  coat  on,  at  the  head  of  a  column  with 
the  emperors.  Cannoneers,  to  your  pieces !  Marksmen,  look 
through  the  large  glass !  Be  quick !  When  they  are  half 
way  up  the  hill,  they  will  be  within  range."  The  redoubt 
was  mounted  with  sixteen  pieces  of  the  guard.  Their  round 
made  the  very  earth  shake,  and  the  Emperor,  looking  through 
his  small  glass,  said,  "  Moreau  has  fallen  !  " 

A  charge  of  the  cuirassiers  put  the  column  to  rout,  and 
brought  off  the  general's  escort,  and  we  learned  that  Moreau 
was  dead.  A  colonel,  who  was  made  prisoner  during  the 
charge,  was  questioned  by  our  Napoleon  in  the  presence  of 
Prince  Berthier  and  Count  Monthyon.  He  said  that  the 
emperors  had  offered  to  give  the  command  to  Moreau,  and  he 
had  refused  it  in  these  words :  "I  do  not  wish  to  take  up 
arms  against  my  country.  But  you  will  never  overcome  them 
in  mass.  You  must  divide  your  forces  into  seven  columns ; 
they  will  not  be  able  to  hold  out  against  them  all ;  if  they 
overthrow  one,  the  others  can  then  advance."  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  enemy  made  a  hasty  retreat 
through  the  cross-roads  and  narrow,  almost  impracticable,  by- 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  251 

ways.  This  was  a  memorable  victory ;  but  our  generals  had 
had  enough  of  it.  I  had  my  place  among  the  staff,  and  I 
heard  all  sorts  of  things  said  in  conversation.     They  cursed 

the  Emperor :  "  He  is  a 9"  they  said,  "  who  will  have  us 

all  killed."  I  was  dumb  with  astonishment.  I  said  to  myself 
"  We  are  lost."  The  next  day  after  this  conversation,  I  made 
bold  to  say  to  my  general,  "  I  think  our  place  is  no  longer 
here;  we  ought  to  go  on  to  the  Rhine  by  forced  marches."  — 
"  I  agree  with  you ;  but  the  Emperor  is  obstinate  :  no  one  can 
make  him  listen  to  reason." 

The  Emperor  pursued  the  enemy's  army  as  far  as  Pirna; 
but  just  as  he  was  about  to  enter  the  town,  he  was  seized  with 
vomiting,  caused  by  fatigue.  He  was  obliged  to  return  to 
Dresden,  where  a  little  rest  soon  re-established  him.  General 
Vandamme,  upon  whom  the  Emperor  relied  to  keep  in  check 
the  remnant  of  the  enemy's  army,  risked  an  engagement  in 
the  valleys  of  Toeplitz,  and  was  defeated  on  the  30th  of 
August.  This  defeat,  those  of  Macdonald  on  the  Katzbach 
and  Oudinot  in  the  plain  of  Grosbeeren,  destroyed  the  fruits 
of  the  victory  of  Dresden.  On  the  14th  of  September  we 
received  the  news  of  the  defection  of  Bavaria,  which  caused 
our  forces  to  be  sent  on  to  Leipzig.  The  Emperor  arrived 
there  on  the  morning  of  the  15th.  On  the  16th  of  October,  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  army  of  the  enemy  began  the 
attack,  and  cannonading  immediately  commenced  all  along 
the  line.  The  first  day's  fight,  though  marked  by  bloody 
engagements,  left  the  victory  undecided. 

All  through  the  day  of  the  17th  of  October  the  two  armies 
remained,  facing  each  other,  without  any  hostile  demonstra- 
tions. On  the  17th,  at  noon,  the  Emperor  sent  his  aide- 
de-camp  to  me  with  an  order  to  start  with  his  household 
establishment,  consisting  of  seventeen  equipages  and  all  his 
grooms,  with  the  treasure  and  the  charts  of  the  army.  I 
went  through  the  city,  and  came  to  the  battle-field,  near  a 
large  garden,  which  was  well  concealed.  I  had  orders  not  to 
move.  So  there  I  established  myself,  and  put  our  pots  on  the 
fire.  The  next  day,  18th  of  October,  early  in  the  morning,  the 
allied  army  again  took  the  initiative.     From  where  I  was,  I 


252       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


saw  the  French  divisions  fall  into  line  on  the  battle-field.  The 
whole  battle-front  was  before  me.  The  heavy  columns  of  the 
Austrians  came  out  from  the  woods,  and  marched  in  columns 
upon  our  army.  Seeing  a  strong  division  of  Saxon  infantry 
marching  upon  the  enemy  with  twelve  pieces  of  cannon,  I 
ordered  all  my  men  to  eat  their  soup,  and  hold  themselves 
ready  to  start.  I  galloped  over  towards  the  line,  following 
the  centre  of  this  division ;  but  they  turned  their  backs  upon 
the  enemy,  and  sent  a  volley  of  shot  upon  us.  I  was  so  well 
mounted  that  I  was  able  to  get  back  to  my  post,  which  I  ought 

not  to  have  left.     By  the  time  I  got 
back,  I  had  recovered  my  presence 
of  mind,  and  I  said  to  the  grooms, 
"Mount  at  once  to  return  to  Leip- 
zig."    Two  minutes  after,  an 
aide-de-camp  galloped  up,  and 
said,  "  Start  at  once,  captain. 
Go  across  the  river ;  it  is  the 
Emperor's  order.     Follow  the 
boulevards     and     the    great 
causeway." 

I  started  off,  putting 
the  head  groom  at  the 
head  of  my  equipages. 
As  we  came  near  the 
boulevard,  I  came  upon  a  piece  of  cannon  drawn  by  four  horses 
and  two  soldiers.  "What  are  you  doing  there  ?"  I  cried  to 
them.  They  answered  me  in  Italian :  "  They  are  dead  "  (the 
gunners).  —  "Take  your  place  there  in  front  of  my  wagons. 
I  will  save  you.  Now  go  on,  gallop,  take  the  lead  ! "  I  felt  very 
proud  to  have  this  piece  to  open  the  way.  Once  on-  the  first 
boulevard,  I  gave  orders  not  to  allow  the  train  to  become  sep- 
arated; but  here  a  great  danger  awaited  us.  When  we 
reached  the  second  boulevard,  I  went  to  get  a  light  from  a 
bivouac  fire  on  the  lower  side  of  the  promenade,  and  had 
scarcely  lighted  my  pipe  when  a  shell  burst  near  me.  My 
horse  reared.  I  did  not  lose  my  balance,  but  the  balls  went 
through  my  wagons.     A  terrible  wind  was  blowing.     I  could 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  253 

not  keep  my  hat  on  my  head.  I  took  it  and  threw  it  into  the 
nearest  wagon.  Drawing  my  sabre  and  riding  along  the  train, 
I  shouted,  "  Grooms,  keep  your  postilions  in  place ;  the  first 
who  dismounts,  blow  out  his  brains.  Have  your  pistols  ready, 
and  I  will  split  the  head  of  the  first  man  who  moves ;  a  man 
must  learn  how  to  die  at  his  post,  if  need  be.  Save  your  mas- 
ter's wagons."  Two  of  my  grooms  were  struck  ;  the  grape-shot 
cut  off  two  buttons  for  one,  and  went  through  the  coat  of  the 
other,  and  I  received  ten  cannon-balls  in  my  wagons.  But 
only  one  of  my  horses  was  wounded,  and  I  found  myself  en- 
tirely out  of  danger  when  we  came  to  the  opening  of  the 
ravine  which  runs  along  the  promenades  and  receives  the 
waters  of  the  marshes  on  the  right  side  of  the  city.  Here 
there  was  a  small  stone  bridge,  and  we  had  to  cross  it  in  order 
to  reach  the  great  causeway  which  ends  at  the  long  bridge. 
I  saw  in  front  of  me  a  park  of  artillery  which  was  just  going 
over  the  small  bridge.  I  galloped  up,  and  found  the  colonel 
of  artillery  who  was  taking  his  park  over.  I  went  up  to  him. 
"  Colonel,  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor  give  me  your  protec- 
tion, and  let  me  follow  you.  Here  are  the  Emperor's  wagons, 
the  treasure,  and  the  charts  of  the  army.  I  have  orders  to 
take  them  over  the  river."  —  "  Yes,  my  brave  fellow,  as  soon 
as  we  have  crossed,  be  ready,  and  I  will  leave  you  twenty  men 
to  assist  you  in  crossing  the  bridge."  —  "  Here,"  said  I,  "  is  a 
piece  of  cannon  which  had  been  abandoned.  I  turn  it  over  to 
you  ready  hitched."  —  "  Go  bring  it  here,"  said  he  to  two  gun- 
ners ;  "  I  will  take  it  along." 

I  then  galloped  back  to  my  train.  "  We  are  all  right  now," 
said  I  to  the  grooms.  "  We  shall  be  able  to  cross.  Hitch 
up."  I  took  my  stand  beside  the  little  bridge,  and  my 
wagons  came  up.  As  soon  as  the  first  wagons  had  gone  over 
the  bridge,  I  said  to  the  gunners,  "Go  back  now  to  your 
pieces."     I  am  thankful  to  those  brave  soldiers. 

When  we  came  to  the  great  causeway,  I  found  no  artillery 
there ;  it  had  all  gone  galloping  off  to  fall  into  position.  But 
I  met  the  ambulances  of  the  army,  commanded  by  a  colonel  of 
the  Emperor's  staff,  who  occupied  the  middle  of  the  cause- 
way.    My  head  groom  said  to  him,  "  Colonel,  be  so  good  as  to 


254       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

let  us  have  a  part  of  the  road."  —  "I  have  no  orders  to  receive 
from  you." —  "I  will  inform  the  officer  in  command,"  replied 
the  groom.  —  "  Let  him  come  to  me.  I  will  wait  for  him." 
He  came  and  told  me ;  I  galloped  off.  When  I  reached  the 
colonel,  I  begged  him  to  give  me  half  of  the  road.  "  Just  as 
you  did  for  the  park  of  artillery,"  said  I ;  "  you  can  easily 
move  to  the  right,  and  we  will  double."  —  "I  have  no  orders 
to  receive  from  you."  —  "  Is  this  your  final  answer,  colonel  ?  " 
—  "  Yes."  —  "  Well,  then,  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor  move  to 
the  right,  or  I  shall  hustle  you  off."  I  pushed  him  along  with 
the  breast  of  my  horse,  repeating,  "  Move  to  the  right,  I  tell 
you."  He  took  hold  of  his  sword.  "If  you  draw  your  sword, 
I  will  blow  out  your  brains."     He  called  some  gendarmes  to 


his  aid,  but  they  said,  "  Settle  it  with  the  Emperor's  bag- 
gage-master yourself  ;  it  is  no  concern  of  ours."  The  colonel 
still  hesitated.  Turning  towards  his  ambulance,  I  had  it 
moved  aside.  As  I  passed  the  colonel,  he  said  to  me,  "  I  shall 
report  your  conduct  to  the  Emperor."  —  "  Make  your  report. 
I  shall  wait  for  you,  and  go  in  after  you  ;  I  give  you  my  word 
for  that," 

I  crossed  the  long  bridge ;  on  the  left  of  it  was  a  mill,  and 
between  that  and  the  bridge  there  was  a  ford  where  the  whole 
army  could  cross  without  any  danger.  But  this  river  is 
walled  in  and  very  deep ;  the  banks  are  perpendicular.  I 
mounted  the  plateau  with  my  seventeen  vehicles,  and  took  a 
position  behind  that  fine  battery  which  protected  me.  When 
night  came  on,  the  armies  were  in  the  same  position  as  at  the 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  255 

commencement  of  the  battle,  our  troops  having  valiantly  re- 
pulsed the  attacks  of  four  united  armies.  But  our  ammuni- 
tion had  become  exhausted.  We  had  fired  off,  during  the  day, 
ninety -five  thousand  cannon-shots,  and  we  had  left  only  about 
sixteen  thousand.  It  was  impossible  to  hold  the  battle-field 
much  longer,  and  we  had  to  resign  ourselves  to  retreat. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Emperor  left  his 
bivouac  to  go  down  into  the  city,  and  established  himself  in 
the  inn  of  the  "Prussian  Arms,"  where  he  spent  the  night 
in  dictating  orders.  I  waited  for  him  ;  he  did  not  come  till 
the  next  day  ;  but  Count  Monthyon  was  despatched  to  give 
orders  to  the  artillery  and  the  troops.  He  sent  for  me. 
"  Well,  how  about  your  wagons  ?  How  did  you  get  through 
with  that  job  ?  "  —  "  Very  well,  general ;  all  the  household 
establishment  of  the  Emperor  is  safe,  the  treasure  and  the 
charts  of  the  army.  Nothing  was  left  behind  ;  but  I  have  had 
ten  balls  go  through  my  wagons,  and  two  grooms  slightly 
wounded."  And  I  related  to  him  my  adventure  on  the  cause- 
way with  the  colonel.  He  told  me  that  he  should  report  it  to 
the  Emperor.  "  Do  not  disturb  yourself,"  he  added.  "  I  will 
see  the  Emperor  to-morrow  morning.  Let  him  show  himself ; 
he  should  have  been  on  the  battle-field,  picking  up  our  brave 
wounded  men  who  were  left  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He 
will  get  his  deserts  from  the  Emperor.  You  were  at  your 
post,  and  he  was  not."  —  "  But,  general,  I  treated  him  severely. 
I  threatened  to  blow  out  his  brains.  If  he  had  been  my  equal 
in  rank,  I  should  have  sabred  him  ;  but  I  was  certainly  wrong 
to  be  so  disrespectful  to  him."  —  "  Never  mind  ;  I  will  attend 
to  it  all.  Go,  my  brave  fellow,  you  shall  not  be  punished. 
You  were  under  the  authority  of  the  Emperor,  and  not  his." 
One  may  imagine  how  relieved  I  was. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  saw  a  fire  on  the  bat- 
tle-field ;  all  the  wagons  were  being  burned  and  the  caissons 
blown  up.  It  was  a  frightful  sight.  On  the  19th  of  Octo- 
ber, Napoleon,  after  a  touching  interview  with  the  King  of 
Saxony  and  his  family,  withdrew  from  Leipzig.  He  went  by 
way  of  the  boulevards  which  lead  to  the  long  bridge  of  the 
faubourg  of  Lindenau,  and  ordered  the  engineer  and  artillery 


256       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

officers  not  to  have  the  bridge  blown  up  until  the  last 
platoon  had  left  the  city,  the  rear-guard  being  obliged  to 
remain  twenty-four  hours  longer  in  Leipzig.  But  Augereau's 
sharpshooters  on  one  hand,  and  the  Saxon  and  Baden  troops  on 
the  other  firing  upon  the  French,  the  sappers  thought  that  the 
enemy's  army  was  coming,  and  that  the  moment  had  come  to 
fire  the  mine.  The  bridge  was  destroyed,  all  means  of  retreat 
was  cut  off  from  the  troops  of  Macdonald,  Lauriston,  Regnier 
and  Poniatowski.  The  last  mentioned,  though  wounded  in 
his  arm,  attempted  to  swim  across  the  Elster,  and  met  his 
death  in  a  whirlpool.  Marshal  Macdonald  was  more  fortunate, 
and  reached  the  opposite  shore.  Twenty-three  thousand 
Frenchmen  who  escaped  the  slaughter  which  was  carried  on 
in  Leipzig  till  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  were  made  pris- 
oners. Two  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  artillery  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  Emperor  reached  his  headquarters  greatly  fatigued ;  he 
had  passed  the  night  without  sleep,  and  was  utterly  worn  out. 
"  Well,  Monthyon,"  said  he,  "  where  are  my  wagons  and  the 
treasure  ?  "  —  "  All  are  safe,  sire.  Your  '  grumbler '  stood  a 
volley  on  the  promenades."  —  "  Send  him  here  ;  he  had  a 
serious  affair  with  a  colonel."  —  "I  know  it,"  said  the  general. 
"  Send  them  both  here  ;  let  them  explain  the  matter."  I  went 
into  the  presence  of  the  Emperor.  The  general  related  the 
affair.  "  Where  is  your  hat  ?  "  —  "  Sire,  I  threw  it  into  one 
of  the  wagons,  and  could  not  find  it  again."  —  "  So  you  had 
some  trouble  on  the  causeway  ?  "  —  "I  wanted  to  share  the 
road  with  the  ambulances,  and  the  colonel  told  me  he  had  no 
orders  to  receive  from  me.  I  said  to  him,  'In  the  name  of 
the  Emperor,  move  aside  to  the  right.'  He  had  done  this  for 
the  artillery,  and  he  was  not  willing  to  give  me  half  of  the 
road.  Then  I  threatened  him ;  if  he  had  been  my  equal,  I 
should  have  sabred  him." 

The  Emperor,  turning  to  the  colonel,  said,  u  Well,  and  what 
have  you  to  say  ?  You  have  barely  escaped  being  degraded. 
You  shall  be  put  under  arrest  for  fifteen  days  for  having 
started  without  my  order,  and,  if  you  are  not  satisfied,  my 
grumbler  will  make  it  all  right  for  you.     As  for  you,"  said  he 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  257 

to  me,  "you  have  done  your  duty.     Go  and   look  for  your 
hat." 

After  the  Emperor  had  collected  the  shattered  remnants  of 
his  army,  he  crossed  the  Saale  on  the  20th  of  October.  The 
Emperor  spent  the  night  in  a  little  pavilion  on  a  hill  planted 
out  with  vines.  On  the  23d,  at  Erfurt,  King  Murat  parted 
from  Napoleon  to  return  to  Naples.  During  that  first  day's 
march  the  remnant  of  the  Saxons  deserted 1  in  the  night,  and 
also  the  Bavarians ;  only  the  Poles  remained  faithful  to  us. 
The  army  left  Erfurt  the  25th  of  October,  and  went  first  to 
Gotha  and  then  to  Fulda.  The  Emperor,  having  been  in- 
formed of  a  manoeuvre  of  the  Bavarian  general,  Wrede, 
marched  hastily  to  Hanau.  On  reaching  the  forest  through 
which  the  road  passes  to  the  entrance  of  the  city,  Napoleon 
spent  the  night  in  making  his  arrangements.  The  next  morn- 
ing he  walked  in  front  of  his  guard  with  his  arms  folded,  and 
said,  "  I  count  upon  you  to  make  a  road  for  me  to  Frankfort. 
Hold  yourselves  in  readiness ;  you  must  crush  them  to  the 
earth.  Do  not  encumber  yourselves  with  prisoners ;  drive 
ahead,  and  make  them  repent  of  barring  the  road  against 
us.  Two  battalions  will  be  enough  (one  of  chasseurs  and 
one  of  grenadiers),  two  squadrons  of  chasseurs  and  two  of 
grenadiers.  You  will  be  commanded  by  Friant."  And  he 
walked  around,  talking  to  everybody  ;  but  the  stragglers  met 
with  a  rough  reception  from  him.  All  this  took  place  in  a 
thick  pine  forest,  which  concealed  us  from  the  enemy ;  but 
we  had  to  deal  with  a  force  stronger  than  our  own.  The 
Bavarian  army,  which  was  opposed  to  us  at  this  place,  num- 
bered more  than  forty  thousand  men.  The  Emperor  gave  the 
signal :  the  chasseurs  started  off  first,  the  grenadiers  follow- 
ing. The  enemy  formed  an  imposing  body.  As  I  saw  my 
old  comrades  start  out,  I  trembled.  The  horse  grenadiers, 
with  all  the  cavalry,  began  to  move  forward.  I  rode  up  to 
the  Emperor.     "  Would  your  Majesty  permit  me  to  follow 

1  An  exception  should  be  made  in  tin-  ease  of  the  Saxon  cavalry,  who  left  our 
army  in  this  campaign  only  sifter  baring  expressed  their  regrets  %\  being  forced  to  go. 
They  oame  and  solemnly  shook  hands  with  ours.  Commander  Thtrion  eras  a  witness 
of  this,  and  related  it  in  his  Souvenirs.  (Published  in  1*51,  in  a  journal  at  Metz,  Le 
Vau  national^ 


258       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

the  horse  grenadiers  ?  "  —  "  Go,"  said  he  ;  "  there  will  be  one 
more  brave  fellow." 

How  thankful  I  felt  for  my  boldness  !  I  had  never  asked 
anything  of  him  before  ;  I  was  too  much  afraid  of  him.  Our 
old  infantry  grumblers  went  to  meet  that  great  body  of  men, 
who  were  resolutely  awaiting  them  on  the  opposite  side  of  a 
stream  which  crossed  the  highway,  and  into  which  emptied 
the  waters  of  some  large  marshes.  For  a  moment  we  were 
between  two  fires.  If  the  enemy  had  taken  advantage  of  his 
opportunity,  we  should  have  been  compelled  to  surrender.  It 
was  impossible  to  manoeuvre,  and  we  were  plunging  about  in 
mire  up  to  our  knees.  But  we  managed  to  turn  the  position. 
The  chasseurs  rushed  upon  the  frightened  Bavarians,  who 
were  unable  to  resist  them  for  a  moment,  and  were  cut  to 
pieces.  We  rushed  in  like  lightning  when  the  cavalry  opened 
its  ranks,  and  the  most  fearful  carnage  ensued  that  I  ever  saw 
in  my  life.  I  found  myself  at  the  extreme  left  of  the  horse 
grenadiers,  and  I  was  anxious  to  follow  the  captain.  "  No," 
said  he;  "you  and  your  horse  are  too  small;  you  would  im- 
pede the  manoeuvre." 

I  was  provoked,  but  I  controlled  my  temper.  Looking 
round  on  my  left,  I  saw  a  road  which  ran  along  the  city  wall. 
Hanau  is  surrounded  on  the  side  next  to  where  I  was  by  a 
very  high  wall  which  conceals  the  houses.  I  galloped  for- 
ward. A  platoon  of  Bavarians  came  up  with  a  fine-looking 
officer  at  their  head.  Seeing  me  alone,  he  rode  up  to  me.  I 
stopped.  He  attacked  me,  and  tried  to  stick  his  long  sword 
into  me.  I  parried  his  blow  with  the  back  of  my  great  sabre 
(which  I  still  have  at  my  house).  I  fell  aboard  of  him  then, 
and  cut  his  head  half  off.  He  fell  down  in  a  heap.  I  took 
his  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  galloped  off,  and  his  platoon  fired 
on  me.  I  rode  like  the  wind  up  to  the  spot  where  the 
Emperor  was,  with  this  beautiful  Arab  horse  which  had  a  tail 
like  a  plume.  The  Emperor  seeing  me  near  him,  said,  "  So 
you  have  come  back.  Whose  horse  is  this  ?  "  —  "  Mine,  sire  " 
(I  still  had  my  sabre  hanging) ;  "  I  have  cut  off  a  fine  officer's 
head.  And  I  was  fortunate  to  do  it,  for  he  was  a  brave 
fellow.     He  attacked  me."  —  "  Now  you  have  a  good  horse  to 


>f  him  then,  and  cut  hi 


260        THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

The  allies  lost  heavily,  and  were  obliged  to  fall  back  to  a 
position  on  the  heights  of  Brienne.  From  this  position  they 
could  send  thunder-bolts  upon  us.  All  the  efforts  of  our 
troops,  made  in  several  charges,  were  repulsed  by  their  artil- 
lery. From  the  constant  manoeuvring  the  earth  had  become 
softened.  The  day  was  drawing  to  an  end,  and  we  could  not 
get  out  of  those  mucky  places.  Meantime  the  Emperor,  who 
was  on  horseback  near  a  garden,  was  preparing  to  attempt 
another  attack.  Prince  Berthier  saw  some  Cossacks  on  our 
right,  who  were  carrying  off  a  piece  of  cannon.  "  Follow  me," 
said  he,  "  gallop."  He  started  off  like  lightning ;  the  four 
Cossacks  fled,  and  the  unfortunate  soldiers  of  the  train 
brought  back  their  piece.  At  this  moment  the  Emperor  said, 
"  I  am  going  to  sleep  to-night  in  the  chateau  of  Brienne.  I 
must  put  an  end  to  this  business.  Put  yourself  at  the  head 
of  my  staff,  and  follow  me." 

Then  he  rode  out  in  front  of  his  first  line,  and,  halting 
before  the  central  regiment,  he  said,  "Soldiers,  I  am  your 
colonel ;  I  shall  lead  you.  Brienne  must  be  taken."  All  the 
soldiers  shouted,  "Long  live  the  Emperor!"  Night  was  com- 
ing on  ;  there  was  no  time  to  lose  ;  each  soldier  became  equal 
to  four.  Our  troops  were  so  transported  that  the  Emperor 
could  not  control  them ;  they  rushed  past  the  staff.  At  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  which  faces  the  chateau  and  the  main 
street  of  Brienne  the  slope  is  steep.  Almost  superhuman 
efforts  were  required  to  reach  the  spot ;  but  all  obstacles  were 
surmounted.  The  darkness  had  fallen,  and  the  combatants 
could  no  longer  distinguish  one  another.  They  fell  upon  each 
other,  charging  bayonets.  The  Russians,  massed  in  the  prin- 
cipal street,  were  driven  out.  Our  troops  came  up  so  rapidly 
on  the  left  that  they  dashed  against  General  Blticher's  staff. 
He  lost  several  officers.  Among  the  prisoners  was  a  nephew 
of  M.  de  Hardenberg,  Chancellor  of  Prussia.  He  told  me  that 
the  field-marshal  had  been  several  times  surrounded  by  our 
sharpshooters,  and  owed  his  escape  only  to  his  own  bravery 
in  self-defence  and  the  fleetness  of  his  horse. 

The  Emperor  then  ordered  a  "  left-wheel,"  did  not  halt  at 
the  chateau,  and  pursued  the  enemy  as  far  as  Mezieres.     It 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  261 

was  pitch  dark,  and  a  band  of  Cossacks  who  were  prowling 
around  in  search  of  booty  heard  the  tramping  of  the  horses  of 
Napoleon  and  his  body-guard  as  they  passed  along.  This 
made  them  run  out.  They  rushed  first  upon  one  of  the 
generals,  who  shouted,  "  Cossacks ! "  and  defended  himself. 
One  of  the  Cossacks  seeing,  a  few  steps  from  him,  a  horseman 
in  a  gray  coat,  fell  upon  him.  General  Corbineau  first  threw 
himself  in  the  way,  but  without  success.     Colonel  Gourgaud, 


who  was  at  that  moment  talking  with  Napoleon,  came  to  his 
defence,  and,  with  a  pistol-shot,  at  close  aim,  he  struck  down 
the  Cossack.  At  the  sound  of  the  pistol,  we  fell  upon  the 
marauders.  It  was,  indeed,  time  to  halt.  We  were  all  worn 
out,  and  ready  to  drop  from  hunger.  Twenty-four  hours  in 
the  saddle  without  anything  to  eat.  I  can  truly  say  the 
soldiers  had  overtaxed  their  strength:  they  fought  one 
against  four. 

From  Brienne  the  Emperor  went  on  to   Troyes,  keeping 
along  the  left  bank  of  the  Aube,  and  we  halted  three  days  for 


262        THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN   COIGNET. 

rest  and  refreshment.  On  the  1st  of  February  we  met  the 
enemy  at  Champaubert.  They  received  a  good  drubbing,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  fall  back  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Aube, 
at  the  village  of  La  Rothiere.  The  fight  at  La  Rothiere  was 
the  first  drawn  battle  of  the  campaign.  We  kept  the  battle- 
field, but  nothing  more.  We  were  not  able  to  renew  the  fight 
the  next  day.  However,  the  allies  could  not  boast  of  having 
defeated  us.  On  the  11th  of  February  a  battle  was  fought  at 
Montmirail. 

Everywhere  where  the  Emperor  commanded,  the  enemy 
was  defeated.  On  the  12th  there  was  a  battle  at  Chateau- 
Thierry  ;  on  the  15th,  at  Gennevilliers.  On  the  17th  we 
reached  Nangis,  after  making  forced  marches  at  night  through 
by-ways,  in  order  to  get  ahead  of  the  enemy's  column.  We 
drove  before  us  some  heavy  columns  as  far  as  Montereau. 
Here  the  Emperor  had  stationed  an  army  corps  to  receive 
them.  But  they  were  not  there ;  a  mistake  had  been  made 
by  whoever  had  allowed  them  to  pass  on,  and  the  burden  fell 
upon  us  alone.  This  battle  took  place  on  the  18th.  Montereau 
was  reduced  to  ruins ;  cannon-balls  fell  all  over  the.  town 
from  every  direction.  The  Emperor,  furious  at  not  hearing 
the  cannon  of  his  army,  gave  the  command,  "Gallop."  We 
were  on  the  road  to  Nangis,  to  the  left  of  the  road  to  Paris. 
When  we  reached  an  eminence  to  the  left  of  this  road,  he 
could  see  the  enemy  crossing  over  the  bridge  of  Montereau. 
Furious  at  this  disappointment,  he  said  to  Marshal  Lefebvre, 
"  Take  all  my  staff.  I  will  keep  with  me  Monthyon,  and  such 
and  such  a  one  ;  go  at  a  gallop ;  go  seize  the  bridge.  The 
affair  has  miscarried.  I  will  fly  to  your  aid  with  my  old 
guard." 

So  we  started  off.  After  descending  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  with  this  intrepid  marshal,  we  reached  the  spot 
without  any  halting.  We  turned  to  the  left,  and  rode  at  the 
utmost  speed,  by  fours,  upon  the  bridge.  The  whole  of  the 
rear-guard  had  not  gone  over.  As  we  rode  over  the  bridge,  a 
large  gap  in  it  was  no  obstacle  to  us,  on  account  of  the 
rapidity  with  which  we  came.  Our  horses  flew.  I  was 
mounted  on  the  fine  Arab  horse  captured  at   the  battle  of 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  263 

Hanau.  An  incident  occurred  here  which  deserves  to  be 
mentioned.  As  we  were  crossing  the  arch  of  the  bridge 
which  had  been  destroyed,  I  saw  a  man  lying  on  his  stomach 
alongside  of  the  parapet,  and  pushing  over  some  pieces  of 
plank  so  as  to  assist  us  in  crossing. 

At  the  end  of  the  bridge,  which  is  long,  there  is  a  street  to 
the  left.  This  faubourg  being  blocked  up  with  the  wagons 
belonging  to  the  rear-guard,  we  had  to  fight  our  way  through 
with  our  sabres.  We  swept  everything  before  us.  Those 
who  escaped  our  fury  did  so  by  dragging  themselves  under 
the  wagons.  Our  marshal  fought  so  hard  that  he  foamed  at 
the  mouth. 

When  we  came  to  a  fine  causeway  which  led  to  St.  Dizier, 
in  front  of  an  immense  plain,  the  marshal  ordered  us  to 
follow  up  our  charge  ;  but  the  Emperor,  seeing  us  engaged  in 
certain  peril,  ordered  a  battalion  of  chasseurs  to  put  down 
their  knapsacks,  and  go  to  our  assistance.  This  battalion 
saved  us.  We  were  driven  back  by  a  body  of  cavalry.  The 
chasseurs  lay  down  on  their  stomachs  alongside  the  causeway, 
and  the  enemy's  cavalry,  after  having  passed  by  them,  were 
surprised  by  a  file-fire.  The  ground  was  strewn  with  horses 
and  men,  and  we  were  enabled  to  reach  the  faubourg.  During 
the  charge,  the  Emperor,  with  his  old  guard  and  his  artillery, 
mounted  the  hill  which  faces  Montereau.  In  front  of  the 
bridge,  on  a  wall  surrounding  a  space  of  circular  form  and 
filled  with  beautiful  yoke-elms,  our  pieces  were  in  battery, 
and  thundering  upon  the  masses  in  the  plain.  Here  it  was 
that  the  Emperor  did  duty  as  a  gunner;  he  himself  directed 
the  pieces.  They  tried  to  make  him  go  to  the  rear.  "No," 
he  said,  "the  bullet  which  is  to  kill  me  is  not  yet  moulded." 
Why  did  he  not  meet  death  gloriously  there  after  being 
betrayed  by  the  man  whom  he  had  raised  to  such  high  rank  ! 
He  was  furious  at  this  miscarriage.  We  recrossed  the  bridges, 
and  again  ascended  the  eminence  where  the  Emperor  was. 
"The  rapidity  with  which  you  made  that  charge,"  said  he, 
"has  given  me  two  thousand  prisoners.  I  feared  you  would 
all  be  captured."  —  "  Your  chasseurs  saved  us,"  said  the  mar- 
shal. 


264       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 


I  was  so  delighted  with  my  part  in  the  affair,  that  I  got 
down  off  my  horse,  and  embraced  him.  Thanks  to  him,  I  had 
been  able  to  use  my  sabre  freely. 

On  the  21st  there  was  a  battle  at  Mery-sur-Seine  ;  on  the  28th, 
one  at  Sezanne ;  on  the  5th  of  March, 
at  Berry-au-Bac,  where  the  Poles  de- 
feated the  Cossacks  ;  on  the  7th,  at 
Craonne.  This  last  was  terrible. 
Some  considerable  heights  were  car- 
ried by  the  foot  chasseurs  of  the  old 
guard  and  twelve  hundred  foot  gen- 


darmes, who  came  from  Spain,  and  performed  prodigies  of 
valor.  On  the  13th  of  March,  at  night,  we  arrived  at  the 
gates  of  Reims. 

A  Russian  army  was  occupying  the  city,  intrenched  in 
redoubts  made  of  rubbish  and  well-tilled  casks.  The  gates  of 
the  city  were  barricaded.  Near  the  gate  which  faces  the 
road  to  Paris,  there  was  an  elevated  piece  of  ground  sur- 
mounted by  a  windmill.     Here  the  Emperor  established  his 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  265 

headquarters  in  the  open  air.  We  made  him  a  good  fire.  We 
could  not  see  two  steps  before  us,  and  he  was  so  overcome  by 
the  day's  work  at  Craonne,  that  he  called  for  his  bear-skin, 
and  stretched  himself  out  near  the  nice  fire,  while  we  watched 
him  in  silence.  The  Russians  began  to  advance  about  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  They  made  a  sortie  with  a  fearful  discharge 
of  musketry  on  our  left.  The  Emperor  rose  to  his  feet  in  a 
fury.  "What  is  that  going  by?"  —  "It  is  a  hurrah,  sire," 
answered  his  aide-de-camp.  "  Where  is  so  and  so  ? "  (He 
referred  to  a  captain  commanding  a  battery  of  sixteen  pieces.) 
"Here  he  is,  sire,"  some  one  replied.  He  approached  the 
Emperor.  "  Where  are  your  pieces  ?  "  —  "  On  the  road."  — 
"Go  bring  them  here."  —  "1  cannot  pass,"  said  he,  "  the  artil- 
lery of  the'  line  is  ahead  of  me."  — "  You  must  throw  all 
those  pieces  over  into  the  ditches.  I  must  be  in  Reims  by 
midnight.  You  are  a  ...  if  you  do  not  go  through  those 
gates !  Go,"  said  he  to  us,  "  turn  them  all  over  into  the 
ditches." 

We  all  started  off.  When  we  reached  the  pieces  and  the 
caissons,  instead  of  throwing  them  over,  we  moved  them  to 
one  side,  with  all  the  gunners  and  the  soldiers  of  the  train. 
All  this  was  done  in  a  moment,  and  the  sixteen  pieces  passed 
along  under  the  Emperor's  eyes,  as  he  stood  watching  them 
with  his  back  to  the  fire.  They  were  placed  in  battery  on  the 
right  of  the  road  in  a  fine  position,  facing  the  gateway.  We 
could  not  see  a  step  before  us,  and  the  misfortune  was  that 
there  were  two  pieces  in  battery  near  the  gates  exposed,  in 
case  of  a  sortie  from  the  Russians ;  we  did  not  see  them  at 
all.  Our  pieces  in  battery  let  loose  their  volleys  on  the  gates 
and  redoubts ;  the  shells  fell  in  the  very  centre  of  the  city. 
During  the  cannonading  the  Emperor  gave  orders  to  the 
cuirassiers  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  enter  the  city, 
stating  to  them  the  streets  he  wished  each  squadron  to  take. 
Then  he  gave  the  signal ;  the  cuirassiers  dashed  forward  to 
form  a  line  of  battle  behind  the  pieces ;  the  order  was  given 
to  cease  firing,  and  all  rushed  into  the  city.  This  charge  was 
so  terrible  that  they  carried  everything  before  them,  and  the 
people,  shut  up  in  their  houses,  hearing  such  an  uproar,  put 


266       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

lights  in  their  windows.  Every  place  was  lighted :  one  could 
have  picked  up  a  needle.  The  Emperor,  at  the  head  of  his 
staff,  was  in  Reims  by  midnight,  and  the  Russians  utterly 
routed;  their  "hurrah"  had  cost  them  dear.  Our  cuirassiers 
cut  the  soldiery  down  with  their  sabres  as  they  liked.  If  the 
Emperor  had  been  seconded  in  France  as  he  was  in  Cham- 
pagne, the  allies  would  have  been  lost.  But  what  was  to  be 
done  ?  They  were  ten  to  one  of  us.  We  had  the  courage, 
but  not  the  strength ;  we  were  compelled  to  give  up. 

Our  misfortunes  ended  at  Fontainebleau.  We  wanted  to 
make  a  last  effort,  and  march  upon  Paris ;  but  it  was  too  late. 
The  enemy  was  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  Paris  had  sur- 
rendered without  resistance.  We  had  to  return  to  Fontaine- 
bleau. The  Emperor  was  treated  falsely  by  all  the  men  whom 
he  had  raised  to  prominent  positions ;  they  forced  him  to 
abdicate.  I  wanted  to  follow  him.  Count  Monthyon  sent  to 
him,  and  asked  him  to  let  me  go.  "  I  cannot  take  him ;  he  is 
not  one  of  my  guard.  If  my  signature  could  do  him  any 
good,  I  would  appoint  him  chief  of  battalion,  but  it  is  now 
too  late."  Six  hundred  men  were  granted  him  for  his 
guard.  He  made  them  take  their  arms,  and  asked  them  to 
volunteer.  Every  man  walked  out  of  the  ranks,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  make  them  go  back.  "  I  will  choose.  Let  no  one 
move."  And,  passing  in  front  of  the  rank,  he  himself  desig- 
nated each  one,  saying,  "  You  come,"  and  so  on,  for  the  whole 
number.  This  occupied  a  long  time.  Then  he  said,  "  See  if 
I  have  made  up  my  number."  —  "  You  need  twenty  more," 
said  General  Drouot.  —  "I  will  pick  them  out." 

When  he  had  made  his  selection,  he  chose  his  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  officers,  and  then  re-entered  the  palace, 
saying  to  General  Drouot,  "  You  will  take  my  old  guard  to 
Louis  XVIII.  at  Paris  after  my  departure." 

When  all  the  preparations  had  been  made,  and  all  the 
equipages  were  ready,  he,  for  the  last  time,  gave  the  order  to 
take  up  arms.  All  his  old  warriors  having  assembled  in  the 
grand  courtyard  once  so  brilliant,  he  came  down  the  stairway, 
accompanied  by  his  staff,  and  presented  himself  before  his 
old  grumblers.     "  Bring  me  my  eagle  ! "     And,  taking  it  in 


EIGHTH  NOTE-ROOK.  267 

his  arms,  he  gave  it  a  farewell  kiss.  Oh,  how  touching  it 
was  !  Groans  could  be  heard  all  up  and  down  the  ranks,  and, 
I  must  say,  I  cried  to  see  my  dear  Emperor  start  for  the 
island  of  Elba.  One  great  cry  rose  up,  "  We  are  then  left  to 
the  mercy  of  the  new  government."  If  Paris  had  held  out 
twenty-four  hours,  France  would  have  been  saved.  But  at 
that  time  the  people  of  Paris  did  not  know  how  to  build  bar- 
ricades ;  they  have  only  learned  how  to  erect  them  against 
their  own  fellow-citizens.  We  had  to  wear  the  white  cock- 
ade ;  but  I  kept  my  old  one  as  a  souvenir. 

After  the  tricks  we  played  upon  the  officers  of  the  allies  at 
Paris,  my  brother  made  me  keep  in.  "  Do  not  go  out,"  said 
he  to  me,  "you  will  be  arrested."  I  promised  him  I  would 
not. 

However,  I  often  thought  of  my  old  master  and  mistress, 
who  had  been  so  kind  to  me,  and  I  was  very  anxious  to  hear 
from  them.  Now,  one  day,  having  my  brother's  permission 
to  go  out,  I  went  to  the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine,  and,  as  I  came 
near  the  Bastile,  a  big  man,  dressed  in  a  blouse,  who  was  go- 
ing by,  stopped  me  suddenly,  and  said,  "  Here  is  a  man  who 
ought  to  be  acquainted  with  Coulommiers,  if  I  am  not  very 
much  mistaken."  —  "  You  are  not  mistaken,"  I  replied,  star- 
ing at  the  man  with  wide-open  eyes.  "I  knew  M.  Potier  at 
Coulommiers  very  well."  —  "  So  it  is  really  you,  M.  Coignet  ?  " 
—  "  Yes,  it  is  I,  M.  Moirot ;  ■  for  I  think  I  also  recognize  you. 
How  are  M.  and  Madame  Potier?"  —  "Very  well.  They 
have  long  feared  you  were  dead,  for  we  speak  frequently  of 
you."  —  "  However,  here  I  am,  and,  as  you  see,  jolly  and  in 
good  health."  —  "I  see  you  have  a  cross."  —  "  Yes,  my  friend ; 
and  also  the  rank  of  captain.  It  has  been  a  long  time  since 
we  have  seen  each  other ;  will  you  let  me  embrace  you  ?  "  — 
"  Very  willingly.  I  have  not  yet  recovered  from  the  surprise 
of  seeing  you  again,  my  dear  Coignet.  We  had  all  so  long 
believed  you  to  be  dead.  But  where  are  you  staying?" 
" With  my  brother  at  the  Aguesseau  Market."  —  "I  sell  my 
flour  to  a  baker  at  the  corner  of  the  market."  —  "  My  brother 

1  Moirot  had  been  a  servant  in  the  employ  of  M.  Potier  at  the  same  time  that 
Coignet  was. 


268       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

supplies  him."  —  "  Now  that  you  know  my  address,  you  must 
be  so  good  as  to  come  and  dine  with  me  this  evening,  and  we 
will  have  a  long  talk  together."  —  "I  will  do  so  with  great 
pleasure." 

I  went  early,  and  Moirot  told  me  that  he  no  longer  lived 
with  M.  Potier ;  he  had  set  up  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  had  earned  in  that  house  sixty  thousand  francs,  and,  thanks 
to  his  good  conduct,  he  had  married  a  cousin  of  M.  Potier. 
When  we  parted  he  grasped  my  hand  with  emotion,  and  said, 
"Ah,  how  happy  I  shall  make  them  to-morrow  when  I  tell 
them  that  I  have  seen  you !  " 

He  had  scarcely  returned  to  Coulommiers  when  he  flew  to 
the  mill  in  the  meadows.  "  What  extraordinaiy  thing  has 
happened,  Moirot,  that  you  are  running  so  fast  ?  "  M.  Potier 
called  to  him  from  a  distance  as  soon  as  he  saw  him.  "Ah, 
sir,  I  have  found  M.  Coignet,  the  lost  child!" — "What? 
What  do  you  say  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  M.  Coignet.  He  is  not  dead,  but 
very  well  —  decorated  —  a  captain  !  "  —  "  You  must  be  mis- 
taken ;  he  did  not  know  how  to  read  or  write  ;  he  could  not 
possibly  occupy  such  a  position.  It  is  doubtless  some  other 
Coignet,  whom  you  have  taken  for  ours."  —  "  It  is  he  himself. 
I  immediately  recognized  him  by  his  big  nose,  his  size,  and 
his  voice.  He  is  a  fine  soldier.  He  told  me  that  he  had  three 
horses  and  a  servant.  He  is  very  anxious  to  see  you.  He 
has  kept  his  word,  for  he  has  won  the  silver  gun  which  he 
promised  you  he  would  bring  back  with  him  when  he  left 
your  house."  —  "  But  it  seems  incredible.  All  this  over- 
whelms me  with  astonishment.  I  must  see  him  before  I  can 
believe  it."  Then  M.  Potier  went  to  tell  the  good  news  to 
Madame,  who  was  none  the  less  surprised  and  happy  to  learn 
that  Jean  Coignet,  her  faithful  servant,  was  found  again ;  and 
that,  decorated  and  an  officer,  he  had  a  servant  and  three 
horses  of  his  own.  "  We  must  send  for  the  dear  child,"  said 
she  to  her  husband. 

But  the  allied  forces  still  occupied  Paris,  and  I  had  to  get 
a  special  permit  from  the  prefect  of  police  in  order  to  leave 
the  city.  Through  the  intervention  of  the  king's  procurator, 
to  whom   he   made   known    his  wishes   on   the    subject,    M. 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK.  269 

Potier  succeeded  in  having  his  request  granted,  and  the  next 
day  his  son  came  to  Paris  for  me.  I  was  very,  very  glad  to 
see  this  young  man,  who  said  to  me,  "  Papa  and  mamma  sent 
me  for  you.  Here  is  the  permit  of  the  prefect  of  police. 
We  will  start  for  Coulommiers  to-morrow,  servant,  horses,  and 
all.  I  am  to  bring  everything :  papa  says  so."  My  brother 
insisted  upon  his  remaining  until  after  dinner.  No,  it  was 
impossible.  By  four  o'clock  he  was  up  and  hastening  our  de- 
parture. "  We  have  fifteen  long  leagues  to  go,"  he  kept  say- 
ing, "and  they  expect  us  early." 

We  travelled  rapidly,  and  I  arrived,  wearing  my  undress 
uniform,  for  my  servant  carried  the  regulation  dress.  Pride 
of  heart  goes  before  a  fall.  But  I  had  to  make  a  good  appear- 
ance. I  dismounted  at  the  mill  gate.  I,  an  old  "  grumbler," 
felt  a  quivering  at  my  heart  at  the  sight  of  all  the  people  I 
used  to  know.  My  limbs  trembled.  I  ran  towards  the  house 
of  my  good  master  and  mistress,  ready  to  throw  my  arms 
around  their  necks.  Madame  Potier  was  in  bed.  I  asked 
permission  to  see  her.  "  Come  in,"  she  called  to  me,  her 
voice  trembling  with  emotion,  "come  right  in.  Poor  child! 
Why  did  you  not  let  us  hear  from  you,  and  send  for  some 
money  ?  "  —  "I  have  done  very  wrong,  madame,  but  you  see 
that  at  this  moment  I  need  nothing.  You  made  me  what  I 
am.  I  owe  my  life  and  my  fortune  to  you.  You  and  M. 
Potier  made  a  man  of  me." — "Have  you  suffered  much?" 
—  "  I  have  endured  everything  that  it  is  possible  for  a  man 
to  endure."  —  "I  am  glad  to  see  you  with  such  a  uniform  on. 
You  have  a  high  rank  ?  "  —  "  Captain  on  the  Emperor's  staff, 
and  the  first  man  decorated  with  the  Legion  of  Honor.  You 
see  you  have  bestowed  good  fortune  upon  me."  —  "  You  won 
it  yourself;  your  courage  carried  you  through.  My  husband 
has  ordered  a  feast,  so  he  can  present  you  to  our  friends." 
M.  Potier,  on  his  part,  welcomed  me  as  if  he  had  been  my 
own  father.  He  wished  to  see  my  horses.  After  examining 
them  all,  he  said,  "Here  is  one  which  is  particularly  hand- 
some ;  he  must  have  cost  you  a  great  deal."  —  "  He  cost  me 
nothing  but  one  sabre  cut,  which  I  gave  to  a  Bavarian  officer 
at  the  battle  of  Hanau.     But  I  will  tell  you  that  story  while 


270       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

we  are  at  dinner."  —  "  All  right.  After  dinner  we  will  go 
and  see  my  children ;  and  to-morrow  we  will  go  out  on  horse- 
back, and  take  your  servant  along,  for  your  position  is  altered. 
You  are  no  longer  our  little  Jean  of  old  times  ;  you  are  the 
distinguished  captain.  I  expect  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in 
presenting  you  to  my  friends.  They  will  not  recognize 
you." 

So  we  went  round  to  see  the  stout  farmers,  and  were  re- 
ceived everywhere  with  open  arms.  "  I  have  come,"  said  M. 
Potier,  "  to  ask  you  to  invite  my  escort  and  me  to  dine  with 
you.  Allow  me  to  present  a  captain  who  has  come  to  visit 
me."  —  "  You  are  very  welcome,"  they  replied.  And  as  I  was 
a  soldier,  they  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  ravages  made  by 
the  enemy  then  occupying  the  environs  of  Paris.  Until  din- 
ner time  M.  Potier  said  nothing  about  me  ;  and  it  was  not  until 
after  the  first  course  that  he  asked  our  hosts  if  they  did  not 
know  the  officer  he  had  brought  with  him.  They  all  stared  at 
me,  but  no  one  recognized  me.  "  You  have  all  seen  him  at 
my  house,  ten  years  ago,"  continued  M.  Potier.  "  He  is  the 
lost  child  whom  I  found  at  the  fair  at  Entrains,  twenty  years 
ago.  It  is  he  whom  I  present  to  you  to-day.  He  has  not 
wasted  his  time,  as  you  see.  He  said  to  me  when  we  parted, 
'  I  shall  try  for  a  silver  gun.'  He  has  fulfilled  his  promise, 
for  he  won  it  the  first  time  he  stood  fire ;  and,  as  you  see,  he 
has  the  cross  of  honor  and  the  rank  of  captain,  and  was 
attached  to  the  person  of  the  great  man,  now  fallen.  .  .  . 
Here  is  my  faithful  servant  of  fifteen  years  ago,  let  us  drink 
his  health." 

We  drank  together,  and  everywhere  I  was  overwhelmed 
with  attentions  and  kindnesses.  I  had  to  tell  them  my  ad- 
ventures ;  and  many  a  time  we  spent  whole  hours  and  days, 
I  telling  stories  and  they  listening,  pleased  and  happy  in  one 
another's  society.  Those  were  pleasant  days  which  I  spent 
thus  among  all  those  old  friends  who  had  formerly  seen  me 
carrying  sacks  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  and 
managing  the  plough. 

After  having  made,  among  the  stout  farmers  and  millers  of 


EIGHTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


271 


the  neighborhood,  a  sort  of  progress  which  I  can  compare 
only  to  that  of  the  "ba>uf  gras  "  at  the  time  of  the  carnival,  I 
took  leave  of  all  M.  Potiers  friends.  I  embraced  my  bene- 
factors, and  returned  to  Paris,  where  I  received  orders  to  start 
immediately  for  my  department. 


NINTH   NOTE-BOOK. 


ON      HALF-PAY.  THE      HUNDRED       DAYS.  TEN     YEARS       OF 

SUPERINTENDENCE.  MY      MARRIAGE.  THE      REVOLUTION 

OF    1830.  I    AM     APPOINTED     AN     OFFICER     IN     THE     LEGION 

OF    HONOR. 

The  government  sent  us  off  to  plant  cabbages  in  our  de- 
partments, upon  half-pay  —  seventy-three  francs  a  month. 
We  had  to  be  resigned  to  it.  I  set  out  for  Auxerre,  chief 
town  of  my  department,  and  vegetated  in  that  town  the  whole 
of  the  year  1814. 

I  knew  no  one  ;  at  last  I  was  invited  to  the  house  of  M. 
Marais,  a  lawyer  in  Rue  Neuve,  a  true  patriot.  He  offered 
me  a  home  at  his  house.  He  was  carrying  on  a  suit  in  the 
name  of  my  brother,  against  my  family,  who  had  cheated  us 
out  of  the  small  property  inherited  from  my  mother.  It  was 
the  father-in-law  of  M.  Marais  who  had  begun  the  accursed 
suit,  which  lasted  seventeen  years. 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


273 


I  endured  my  misfortune  patiently,  and  awaited  my  fate 
under  the  laws  of  man.  I  took  up  my  abode  in  a  moderate- 
sized  lodging  which  I  got  rent-free ;  I  hired  a  cot-bed  and  a 
mattress.  In  this  inhabited  house,  fortunately,  there  was  a 
small  stable  for  my  horse.  I  went  to  see  the  general,  and 
from  there  to  see  M.  Goyon,  the  paymaster.  On  the  first  of 
the  month  we  had  to  go  and  receive  our  seventy-three  francs. 
Two  and  a  half  per  cent,  was  deducted  in  advance  on  our 
crosses.  Then  they  gently  struck  the  final  blow.  A  hundred 
and  twenty-five  francs  a  year  was  deducted  from  our  Legion 
of  Honor,  besides  the  two  and  a  half  per  cent.,  so  that  the 
half-pay  was  reduced  to  a  third. 
This  life  lasted  seven  years. 

I  took  it  patiently.  I  used  ff5 
to  go  to  the  Cafe  Milon.  One 
day  I  found  some  groups  of  old 
frequenters  who  were  talking 
politics  ;  they  came  up  to  me  to 
ask  if  I  had  heard  any  news. 
"  None  at  all,"  I  said.  —  "  You 
do  not  want  to  talk :  you  are 
afraid  of  compromising  your- 
self."— "  I  swear  to  you  I  know 
nothing."  — "Well,"  said  a  fat 
old    papa,    "they    say   that    a    """~— 

Capuchin  has  come  over  in  disguise,  and  also  another  distin- 
guished personage  whom  the  prefect  wanted  to  have  arrested." 
—  "I  do  not  understand  you."  —  "  You  are  pretending  to  be 
ignorant."  —  "  This  is  the  reason  he  kept  his  horse,"  said  one 
of  them ;  "  he  was  expecting  the  gray  coat."  I  withdrew, 
overwhelmed  with  joy,  T  can  truly  say,  and  I  felt  as  if  my 
Emperor  was  already  back  again. 

It  was  reported  on  the  streets  of  Auxerre,  that  the  Emperor 
had  landed  at  Cannes,  and  was  inarching  on  to  Grenoble  and 
Lyons.  Every  one  was  filled  with  consternation ;  but  the 
report  was  made  a  certainty  when,  early  in  the  morning,  a  fine 
regiment  of  the  line,  the  14th,  arrived  with  Marshal  Ney  at 
its  head.     It  was  said  that  he  was  going  to  arrest  the  Em- 


274       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

peror.  "  It  cannot  be  possible,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  that  the 
man  whom  I  saw  at  Kowno  take  a  gun,  and  with  five  men  keep 
back  his  enemies  —  this  marshal  whom  the  Emperor  called  his 
lion  —  can  lay  hands  on  his  sovereign."  The  thought  of  it 
made  me  tremble.  I  went  everywhere  where  I  could  hear 
without  being  seen  ;  I  was  restless.  At  last  the  marshal  went 
to  the  office  of  the  prefect.  A  proclamation  was  made  and 
published  throughout  the  town.  The  commissioner  of  police, 
accompanied  by  a  full  escort,  advertised  that  Bonaparte  had 
returned,  and  that  it  was  the  order  of  the  government  that  he 
should  be  arrested.  And  there  were  cries  of  ''Down  with 
Bonaparte  !  "  —  *  Long  live  the  Xing !  "  My  God  !  how  I 
suffered !  But  this  fine  14th  of  the  line  put  the  shakos  on 
their  bayonets,  and  shouted,  "  Long  live  the  Emperor ! M 
What  could  the  marshal  do  without  soldiers  ?  He  was 
obliged  to  yield. 

That  evening  the  advance  guard  returned  to  the  hotel,  but 
not  as  it  had  left  it :  white  cockades  in  the  morning  and  tri- 
colored  ones  in  the  evening.  They  took  possession  of  the 
town-hall,  and  by  torchlight  the  same  commissioner  went 
through  the  town  to  publish  another  proclamation,  and  shout 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Long  live  the  Emperor  !  "  I  must 
say  that  I  about  ruptured  my  spleen. 

The  next  day  everybody  assembled  on  the  road  to  St.  Bris 
to  see  the  Emperor  come  by  in  his  carriage  with  his  fine 
escort.  The  snowball  had  grown;  seven  hundred  of  his  old 
officers  formed  a  battalion,  and  troops  came  in  from  every 
direction.  On  reaching  the  Place  St.  Etienne,  the  14th  of  the 
line  formed  a  square,  and  the  Emperor  reviewed  it.  After- 
wards he  formed  a  circle  of  his  officers,  and,  seeing  me,  he 
called  me  to  him.  "  So  you  are  here,  old  grumbler  ? "  — 
"  Yes,  sire."  — "  What  rank  did  you  hold  on  my  staff  ?  " 
—  "Baggage-master  of  the  headquarters."  —  "Very  well;  I 
appoint  you  quartermaster  of  my  palace,  and  baggage-master- 
general  of  the  headquarters.  Are  you  mounted?"  —  "Yes, 
sire."  —  "  Then  follow  me,  go  and  join  Monthyon  at  Paris." 

The  next  day  I  set  out  for  Joigny,  and  the  day  following  I 
embarked  with  ten  officers  in  a  vessel  bound  for  Sens.     The 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  275 

river  was  covered  with  boats  filled  with  troops,  and  we  found 
some  submerged  at  the  bridges,  for  they  had  tried  to  proceed 
at  night ;  the  shores  were  covered  with  snow.  We  landed, 
and  took  public  coaches  for  Paris.  I  stopped  at  my  brother's 
to  make  my  toilet,  and  went  to  see  General  Monthyon.  I 
informed  him  that  the  Emperor  had  appointed  me  baggage- 
master-general  to  the  headquarters.  "  How  glad  I  shall  be,  my 
brave  fellow,  to  have  you  near  me  !  I  shall  take  out  your  com- 
mission ;  that  is  my  business."  I  went  to  the  Tuileries,  and  had 
myself  announced.  "  I  wish  to  speak  to  General  Bertrand."  — 
"  I  will  call  him,"  said  General  Drouot.     The  general  came. 


"  Already,  my  brave  fellow  ?  You  took  the  post,  then  ? " 
—  "I  came  as  quickly  as  possible ;  I  ask  leave  for  six  days, 
general."  —  "  Granted.     Go." 

That  same  evening  I  left  Paris  for  Auxerre,  and  reached 
there  Saturday  morning.  In  those  days  people  walked  out 
to  the  Arquebuse  on  Sundays.  About  four  o'clock  I  went 
out,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  to  show  myself  as  though  I  had 
not  gone  away  from  Auxerre.  On  Monday  I  went  to  see  my 
lawyer,  who  said  to  me,  "  Your  suit  is  suspended,  like  many 
others."  —  "  But  I  must  go  away ;  I  must  be  in  Paris  in  six 
days."  — "  Well,  it  will  have  to  remain  suspended."  I  set 
off  to  go  to  my  post.  I  went  to  my  brother's  house.  The 
next   day  I  went  to  see  my  general.     u  Here   you   are,  my 


276       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

brave  fellow !  And  here  is  your  commission ;  you  have  a 
right  to  lodging  with  your  servant  and  horses.  You  must  go 
find  the  mayor  of  your  brother's  arrondissement,  so  that  you 
can  be  near  the  Tuileries.  You  must  be  mounted ;  you  must 
have  two  horses,  and  then  you  have  the  right,  as  one  of  the 
'  sacred  battalion,'  to  three  hundred  francs,  which  will  be  paid 
you  at  No.  3  Place  Vendome.  Every  day  you  will  come  to 
take  my  orders,  and  go  on  to  the  Tuileries  at  noon." 

The  next  day  I  went  to  No.  3  Place  Vendome  to  get  my 
three  hundred  francs  gratuity  of  the  "sacred  battalion." 
When  I  went  to  the  captain  who  commanded  the  third  com- 
pany of  officers,  for  the  inferior  officers  were  only  soldiers  (it 
was  necessary  to  be  a  superior  officer  to  be  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  a  hundred  officers)  :  "  I  have  come,  captain,  to  claim 
the  three  hundred  francs  due  me."  —  "What  is  your  name  ?" 

—  "  Coignet."  He  looked  over  his  book,  and  found  my  name. 
u  I  have  no  more  money  ;  you  must  do  as  the  rest  have  done." 

—  "  But  you  have  my  money."  — "  I  tell  you  the  pay  has  been 
stopped."  —  "  All  right,  captain,  I  will  see  about  that." 

This  man  was  an  old  emigre  who  had  offered  to  take  a  posi- 
tion under  the  Emperor,  and  who  had  been  granted  one.  I 
informed  General  Bertrand  of  my  disappointment.  u  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  that  old  cavalier  would  not  pay  you  ?  " — "  He  would 
not,  indeed,  general."  —  "  Very  well,  I  will  give  you  a  billet- 
doux  (poulet)  for  him." 

I  went  back  to  him  with  the  letter.  "  Captain,  you  will 
not  need  a  spit  to  roast  this  chicken  (poulet) ;  it  is  ready 
picked."  His  aide-de-camp  was  near  him  ;  he  read  the  letter, 
and,  turning  to  me  said,  "  Why  did  you  go  to  the  Tuileries  ? 
It  was  not  your  place."  —  "  Pardon  me,  captain,  I  am  baggage- 
master-general  and  quartermaster  of  the  palace ;  I  have  charge 
of  the  quartering  of  the  army.  I  promise  to  lodge  you  as 
you  have  received  me.  My  three  hundred  francs,  if  you 
please."  I  was  paid  immediately,  and  carried  my  money  to 
my  brother.  I  went  for  my  coupons,  so  that  I  could  draw  my 
rations  of  forage  from  the  contractor,  who  cashed  them  for 
me.  I  had  a  right  to  three  rations  a  day ;  this,  added  to  my 
monthly  allowance  of  three  hundred  francs,  made  me  in  this 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


277 


short  while  worth  eight  hundred  francs.  Then  I  had  to  be 
mounted,  so  I  set  out  to  look  for  some  horses.  I  found  two 
near  the  Carrousel,  at  the  house  of  a  royalist  who  had  run  away. 
I  bought  them  for  two  thousand  seven  hundred  francs,  and 
they  were  very  handsome.  My  brother  lent  me  two  thousand 
five  hundred  francs. 

I  went  immediately  to  my  brother's  notary,  who  made  out 
a  contract  by  which  I  acknowledged  that  I  owed  my  brother 
two  thousand  five  hundred  francs.  While  the  contract  was 
being  drawn  up,  I  made  my  will,  which  I  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  notary.  My 
brother  scolded  me 
when  he  saw  the  copy 
of  the  contract. 
"  That's  all  right," 
said  I,  "and  if  I  die 
in  this  campaign,  you 
will  find  my  will  in  the 
hands  of  your  notary." 

I  busied  myself  in 
looking  up  a  good  serv- 
ant, and  having  har- 
ness made  for  my  two 
horses.  When  all  this',* 
was  done,  I  went  to  see 
my  general  on  horse- 
back, with  my  servant  riding  behind  me,  like  a  commandant 
going  his  rounds.  I  entered  Count  Monthyon's  hotel,  and 
said,  "  General,  see,  I  am  mounted."  —  "  Already  ! "  said  he, 
"  that  is  the  way  you  do  things ;  and  two  fine  horses ! "  — 
"  My  war-horse  cost  me  eighteen  hundred  francs,  and  my  serv- 
ant's horse  nine  hundred  francs."  —  "You  are  better  mounted 
than  I  am.  I  am  very  glad,  my  good  fellow;  now  you  are 
ready  to  start  on  a  campaign.  Are  they  paid  for  ?  "  —  "  Yes ; 
my  brother  lent  me  the  money." 

The  good  general  frequently  came  to  my  brother's  to  take 
ine  out  for  an  airing,  either  on  horseback  or  in  a  carriage,  and 
invited  me  to  dine  at  his  house.  He  remembered  the  good 
fires  I  made  for  him  on  the  retreat  from  Moscow. 


278        THE   NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

All  my  own  preparations  for  the  campaign  being  made,  I  set 
to  work  to  arrange  the  order  of  march  for  the  equipages  accord- 
ing to  their  rank,  so  as  to  avoid  confusion  on  the  marches,  as 
well  as  in  the  distributions.  This  precaution  was  useful  to 
me,  and  I  was  congratulated  upon  it  later  on. 

Preparations  for  the  Champ  de  Mai  were  going  on  in  the 
Champ  de  Mars  in  front  of  the  facade  of  the  Ecole  Militaire. 
The  Emperor,  in  full  dress,  surrounded  by  his  staff,  came  out 
to  receive  the  deputies  and  the  peers  of  France.  When  the 
reception  was  over  the  Emperor  descended  from  his  royal 
amphitheatre  to  go  to  another  in  the  centre  of  the  Champ  de 
Mars.  We  had  the  greatest  possible  difficulty  in  getting 
through  the  crowd,  which  was  so  great  that  it  had  to  be 
driven  back  in  order  to  allow  us  to  pass.  And  there,  with  his 
staff  all  standing  round  him,  the  Emperor  made  a  speech.  He 
had  the  eagles  brought  to  him  to  distribute  to  the  army  and 
the  national  guard.  With  that  stentorian  voice  of  his,  he 
cried  to  them,  "  Swear  to  defend  your  eagles  !  Do  you  swear 
it  ?  "  he  repeated.  But  the  vows  were  made  without  warmth  ; 
there  was  but  little  enthusiasm :  the  shouts  were  not  like 
those  of  Austerlitz  and  Wagram,  and  the  Emperor  perceived 
it. 

On  my  return  from  this  grand  ceremony,  I  made  my  prepa- 
rations for  the  departure  of  the  army.  I  left  Paris  on  the  4th 
of  June,  for  Soissons,  and  from  there  I  went  to  Avesnes, 
where  I  was  to  await  new  orders.  The  Emperor  arrived  on 
the  13th,  and  only  remained  there  a  short  time.  He  was  to 
sleep  at  Laon.  On  the  14th  of  June  he  ordered  forced 
marches.  When  we  had  entered  the  fertile  country  of  Bel- 
gium, the  columns  were  obliged  to  clear  roads  for  themselves 
through  the  high  rye.  The  front  ranks  could  not  advance. 
After  being  trodden  down,  it  was  only  fit  for  straw,  in  which 
the  cavalry  stumbled.     That  was  one  of  our  misfortunes. 

In  order  to  gain  a  footing  in  the  plain  of  Fleurus,  the 
Emperor  went  on  in  advance,  following  the  main  road  with 
his  staff,  and  a  squadron  of  horse-grenadiers.  He  talked 
awhile  with  an  aide-de-camp.  He  looked  over  to  his  left,  took 
his   small   glass,  and   examined   attentively  a   perpendicular 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK,  279 

eminence  far  off  from  the  road,  in  an  immense  plain.  He  saw 
some  cavalry  dismounted,  and  said,  "  That  is  not  my  cavalry, 
is  it  ?  I  must  find  out.  Send  me  an  officer  of  my  body-guard, 
and  let  him  go  at  once  and  reconnoitre  that  troop. "  A  sign 
was  made  to  me  to  come  to  the  Emperor.     "  It  is  you,  is  it  ?  " 

—  "Yes,  sire."  —  "Gallop  off,  and  reconnoitre  the  troop  on 
that  mountain.     Do  you  see  them  from  here  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  sire." 

—  "  Do  not  get  caught."  I  galloped  off.  When  I  reached 
the  foot  of  the  steep  mountain,  I  saw  three  of  the  officers 
mount  their  horses,  and  I  thought  I  saw  lances ;  but  I  was  not 
sure.  I  continued  to  ascend  slowly,  and  I  saw  that  their 
soldiers  were  going  round  the  mountain  to  cut  off  my  retreat. 
Half-way  up  the  mountain  I  saw  my  three  jolly  fellows 
coming  down  corkscrew  fashion.  They  jostled  against  each 
other,  and  could  only  come  very  slowly.  I  stopped  short.  I 
saw  they  were  enemies.  Then  I  saluted  them  politely,  and 
began  to  descend.  All  three  of  them  also  came  on  down  the 
mountain.  I  was  not  afraid  of  them,  but  I  was  of  the  others, 
who  had  gone  round  the  road  to  cut  me  off.  I  looked  to  my 
left,  but  saw  no  one.  I  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  the 
officers  following  me. 

When  I  had  fairly  reached  the  plain,  I  turned  towards 
them,  and  made  them  a  low  bow,  seeing  that  my  road  was 
open.  I  said  to  my  fine  war-horse,  "  Gently,  Coco  "  (that  was 
the  name  of  the  beautiful  animal).  I  was  ahead,  when  one  of 
them  undertook  to  follow  me ;  the  other  two  stood  still.  He 
gained  on  me,  and  this  encouraged  him.  When  I  saw  that  he 
had  gone  over  half  the  distance  between  the  mountain  and 
the  staff  of  the  Emperor  (who  was  watching  my  movements, 
and,  seeing  me  so  closely  pressed,  sent  two  horse-grenadiers  to 
my  assistance),  I  patted  my  horse  to  put  him  in  a  good 
humor.  I  looked  behind,  and  saw  that  I  had  time  enough  to 
make  a  left-wheel,  and  attack  him.  He  shouted  to  me, 
u  Surrender."  And  I  to  him  also,  "  Surrender."  Wheeling 
to  the  left,  I  fell  upon  him.  Seeing  me  make  this  sudden 
wheel-about,  he  yielded,  but  it  was  too  late ;  the  wine  was 
poured  out,  and  he  had  to  drink  it.  He  had  scarcely  turned 
to  gallop  off  in  retreat,  when  I  was  at  his  side,  dealing  him  a 


280       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

blow  with  the  point  of  my  sabre.  He  fell  head  foremost  to 
the  ground,  stone  dead.  Leaving  my  sabre  hanging  at  my 
wrist,  I  seized  his  horse,  and  rode  proudly  back  to  the 
Emperor.  "  Well,  old  grumbler,  I  thought  you  would  be 
captured.  Who  showed  you  how  to  make  such  a  turn  ? "  — 
"One  of  your  picked  gendarmes,  in  the  Russian  campaign."  — 
"  You  have  done  well,  and  you  are  well  mounted.  Did  you  see 
that  officer  ?  "  —  "  He  seemed  to  be  a  blond  man."  —  "  He  was 
a  coward,  whoever  he  was  :  he  came  out  to  fight,  and  allowed 
himself  to  be  killed  like  a  baby.  One  sabre-cut  like  that  is 
no  credit  to  any  one.  You  grumble  over  it,  I  know."  —  "  Yes, 
sire ;  I  ought  to  have  been  able  to  take  his  horse  by  the  bridle, 
and  lead  him  to  you."  He  smiled  at  this,  and  I  led  the  horse 
forward.  (Some  one  said)  "  It  was  such  and  such  an  English 
regiment."  All  praised  my  horse,  and  an  officer  begged  me 
to  let  him  have  it.  "  Give  fifteen  napoleons  to  my  servant, 
twenty  francs  to  the  grenadiers,  and  take  it." 

The  Emperor  said  to  the  marshal,  "  Make  a  note  of  this  old 
grumbler.     After  the  campaign  I  will  see  about  him." 

It  was,  I  believe,  on  the  14th  that  we  met  a  large  body  of 
the  Prussian  advance-guard  beyond  Gilly.  The  cuirassiers 
went  through  the  town  at  such  speed  that  the  horses'  shoes 
flew  over  the  houses.  The  Emperor  watched  them  go  through 
before  leaving.  It  was  a  steep  ascent,  but  it  is  impossible  to 
imagine  the  rapidity  with  which  that  body  of  cavalry  could 
go  over  a  mountain.  Our  intrepid  cuirassiers  fell  upon  the 
Prussians,  and  sabred  them  without  taking  any  prisoners. 
They  were  driven  back  upon  their  front  with  considerable 
loss.     The  campaign  had  begun. 

Our  troops  encamped  at  the  entrance  to  the  plain  of 
Charleroi,  which  is  called  Fleurus.  The  enemy  could  not  see 
us,  and  did  not  think  that  the  army  had  become  united.  Our 
Emperor  also  thought  that  they  had  not  collected  their  forces, 
and  on  the  15th,  during  the  night,  he  took  command  of  the 
army  in  person.  Early  in  the  morning  he  sent  in  every  direc- 
tion to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  position.  Only  the  grand 
marshal,  Count  Monthyon,  and  I  remained  with  him.  He  was 
at  a  village  on  the  left  of  the  plain,  at  the  foot  of  a  wind- 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  281 

mill,  and  the  Prussian  armies  were  mostly  on  his  right,  con- 
cealed by  gardens,  skirts  of  woods,  and  farms.  "  Their 
position  is  concealed ;  we  cannot  see  them,"  said  all  the  offi- 
cers when  they  returned.  The  order  was  given  for  a  general 
attack.  The  Emperor  went  up  into  the  windmill,  and,  look- 
ing through  a  hole,  watched  all  the  movements.  The  grand 
marshal  said  to  him,  "There  goes  the  corps  of  Marshal 
Gerard."  — "  Send  Gerard  up  here."  He  came  up  to  the 
Emperor.  "Gerard,"  said  he,  "your  Bourmont,  for  whom 
you  said  you  would  be  answerable  to  me,  has  gone  over  to  the 
enemy."  And  pointing  through  a  hole  in  the  mill  to  a  steeple 
on  the  right,  "You  must  go  toward  that  steeple,  and  drive 


the  Prussians  to  extremities.     I  will  sustain  you.     Grouchy 
has  my  orders." 

All  the  officers  of  the  staff  started  off,  and  did  not  return. 
Then  the  Emperor  sent  me  to  General  Gerard.  "  Go  to  the 
steeple  and  find  Gerard.  Wait  his  orders  to  return."  I  gal- 
loped off.  This  was  not  an  easy  task ;  I  had  to  take  many 
turns.  The  space  was  covered  with  gardens.  I  did  not  know 
which  way  to  go.  However,  I  found  the  brave  general  at  last, 
fighting  hand  to  hand,  covered  with  mud.  I  went  up  to  him. 
"  The  Emperor  sent  me  to  you,  general."  —  "  Go  tell  the  Em- 
peror that  if  he  will  send  me  re-enforcements,  the  Prussians 
will  be  beaten.  Tell  him  that  I  have  lost  half  my  soldiers,  but 
that,  if  I  am  sustained,  the  victory  is  assured." 


282       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

This  was  not  a  battle,  it  was  a  butchery.  A  charge  was 
beaten  on  all  sides.  There  was  but  one  shout,  "  Forward !  " 
I  carried  the  report  of  it  to  the  Emperor.  After  hearing  me, 
he  said,  "Ah!  if  I  had  four  lieutenants  like  Gerard,  the 
Prussians  would  be  lost."  I  had  returned  long  before  those 
whom  the  Emperor  had  sent  off  before  he  sent  me.  Some 
came  back  in  the  evening,  after  the  battle  was  won ;  six  did 
not  appear  at  all.  The  Emperor  rubbed  his  hands  after  I 
made  my  report,  and  made  me  describe  all  the  places  through 
which  I  had  passed.  There  were  only  orchards,  big  trees,  and 
farms.  "  Is  that  so  ?  "  said  he.  "  We  thought  there  were 
woods  there."  —  "  No,  sire ;  the  roads  are  only  concealed  by 
the  foliage."  All  our  columns  were  now  advancing  ;  the 
victory  was  decided.  The  Emperor  said  to  us,  "  To  horse,  and 
gallop  !  there  are  my  columns  coming  up  the  hill."  So  off 
we  started.  Across  the  plain  there  was  a  ditch  three  or  four 
feet  wide.  The  Emperor's  horse  halted  for  a  moment,  my 
horse  leaped  over,  and  there  I  was  in  front  of  his  Majesty, 
carried  on  by  his  fleetness.  I  feared  I  should  be  scolded  for 
my  boldness,  but  I  was  not.  When  we  reached  the  top  of 
the  hill  the  Emperor  looked  at  me,  and  said,  "  If  your  horse 
were  a  stallion,  I  should  take  him." 

Some  cannon-balls  were  still  falling  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
but  our  columns  defeated  the  Prussians  in  the  low  ground  on 
the  right.  This  was  kept  up  till  night.  The  victory  was 
complete.  The  Emperor  retired  at  a  very  late  hour  from  the 
battle-field,  and  returned  to  the  village  near  the  windmill. 
Thence  he  sent  out  officers  in  every  direction.  Count  Mon- 
thyon  dictated  the  despatches  by  order  of  the  major-general, 
and  the  officers  on  duty  started  out  at  once.  We  were  all  on 
duty  that  night;  no  one  had  any  rest. 

The  next  day,  June  17,  1815,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, orders  to  advance  were  sent  out.  At  seven  o'clock  our 
columns  had  come  up.  At  that  hour  there  were  only  the 
English  in  front  of  us.  The  Emperor  sent  an  officer  of  the 
engineer  corps  to  reconnoitre  their  position  on  the  heights  of 
Belle-Alliance,  and  to  see  if  they  were  fortified.  He  returned, 
and  said  that  he  had  seen  nothing.     Marshal  Ney  came  up, 


XINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  283 

and  was  rebuked  for  hot  having  followed  up  the  English,  for 
there  were  only  some  "  sans-culottes  " !  at  the  Quatre  Bras. 
"  Go,  marshal,  and  take  possession  of  the  heights  ;  the  enemy 
are  backed  up  against  the  woods.  When  I  receive  news  from 
Grouchy,  I  will  give  you  the  order  for  the  attack."  The  mar- 
shal started,  and  the  Emperor  went  up  on  an  eminence  near  a 
chateau  by  the  roadside.  From  this  point  he  uncovered  his 
right  wing  just  at  the  strongest  part  of  the  English  army. 
I  was  sent  for,  and  orders,  given  me  to  go  a  little  to  the  right 
of  the  road  to  Brussels,  to  make  sure  of  the  position  of  the 
left  wing  of  the  English  which  rested  on  the  wood.  I  was 
obliged,  in  descending,  to  go  alongside  of  the  road  on  account 
of  a  broad  and  deep  ravine  which  I  could  not  cross,  and  a  hill 
where  the  artillery  of  the  guard  was  in  battery.  I  must  men- 
tion that  we  were  drenched  with  rain,  and  the  ground  was 
very  muddy  ;  our  artillery  could  not  manoeuvre.  I  passed 
near  them,  and  when  I  came  in  front  of  that  immense  ravine, 
I  saw  some  columns  of  infantry  closely  massed  in  the  lower 
part  of  it.  I  crossed  it,  going  a  little  to  the  right,  and  came 
upon  an  isolated  barrack,  a  little  way  from  the  road.  I  stopped 
to  look.  On  my  right  I  saw  some  large  rye-fields  and  their 
pieces  in  battery,  but  no  one  was  moving.  For  a  moment  I 
did  a  little  swaggering.  I  went  near  the  rye-fields,  and  saw  a 
body  of  cavalry  behind  them.  I  had  seen  enough  of  them. 
It  appeared  that  it  did  not  suit  them  to  see  me  come  near 
them :  they  saluted  me  with  three  shots  from  their  cannon. 
I  went  back  to  tell  the  Emperor  that  on  the  right  their  cavalry 
was  concealed  behind  the  rye-fields,  their  infantry  masked 
by  the  ravine,  and  that  a  battery  had  fired  on  me. 

The  Emperor  gave  orders  for  a  general  attack.  Marshal 
Ney  performed  prodigies  of  courage  and  daring.  This  in- 
trepid marshal  had  in  front  of  him  a  formidable  position.  He 
could  not  take  it.  Every  few  moments  he  sent  to  the  Emperor 
for  re-enforcements  so  as  to  finish  the  work,  he  said.  At  last, 
in  the  evening,  he  received  some  cavalry,  who  put  the  English 
to  rout,  but  without  positive  success.  One  more  effort,  and 
they  would  have  been  overthrown  in  the  forest.     Our  centre 

1  The  Scotch,  thus  called  on  account  of  their  nuked  legs. 


284       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

was  making  progress.  They  had  passed  the  barracks  in  spite 
of  the  grape-shot  which  fell  into  the  ranks.  We  knew  not 
the  misfortunes  which  awaited  us. 

An  officer  came  up  from  our  right  wing.  He  told  the 
Emperor  that  our  soldiers  were  sounding  a  retreat.  "  You 
are  mistaken,"  said  he,  "it  is  Grouchy  coming."  He  sent  off 
immediately  in  that  direction  to  assure  himself  of  the  fact. 
The  officer  returned,  and  confirmed  the  report.  There  was  no 
means  of  holding  out.  The  Emperor,  seeing  himself  out- 
flanked, took  his  guard,  and  marched  it  forward  to  the  centre 
of  his  army  in  close  columns.  Followed  by  his  whole  staff, 
he  formed  the  battalions  into  squares.  Having  gone  through 
this  manoeuvre,  he  spurred  his  horse  forward  so  as  to  enter 
the  square  commanded  by  Cambronne ;  but  all  his  generals 
surrounded  him.  "  What  are  you  doing  ?  "  they  cried.  "  Is 
it  not  enough  for  them  to  have  gained  the  victory  ?  "  His 
design  was  to  have  himself  killed.  Why  did  they  not  allow 
him  to  accomplish  it  ?  They  would  have  spared  him  much 
suffering,  and  at  least  we  should  have  died  at  his  side ;  but 
the  great  dignitaries  who  surrounded  him  were  not  willing  to 
make  such  a  sacrifice.  However,  I  ought  to  say  that  we  all 
surrounded  him,  and  compelled  him  to  retire. 

We  had  the  greatest  possible  difficulty  in  getting  away. 
We  could  not  make  way  through  the  panic-stricken  multitude. 
And  it  was  still  worse  when  we  arrived  at  Jemmapes.  The 
confusion  lasted  a  considerable  length  of  time.  Nothing 
could  calm  them  :  they  would  listen  to  no  one  ;  the  horsemen 
shot  their  horses ;  the  foot-soldiers  shot  themselves  to  avoid 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy ;  everything  went  pell- 
mell.  I  found  myself  taking  part  m  another  rout  as  complete 
as  that  of  Moscow.  "We  are  betrayed,"  they  cried.  This 
great  blow  came  upon  us  on  account  of  our  right  wing  being 
broken  in.  The  Emperor  did  not  know  the  extent  of  the 
disaster  till  he  reached  Jemmapes. 

The  Emperor  left  Jemmapes,  and  rode  to  Charleroi,  where 
he  arrived  between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He 
left  orders  that  all  of  his  equipages  should  fall  back,  part  by 
way  of  Avesnes,  part  by  way  of  Philippe ville,  to  Laon,  which 


"I  ought  to  say 
retire."— Page  284. 


im   and   compelh 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


285 


he  reached  about  ten  o'clock.  Officers  were  also  sent  to  Mar- 
shal Grouchy  with  orders  for  him  to  come  on  to  Laon.  The 
Emperor  dismounted  at  the  foot  of  the  city. 

After  he  had  given  his  orders,  and  made  out  his  bulletin 
for  Paris,  an  officer  arrived  who  announced  a  column.  The 
Emperor  sent  to  reconnoitre  it.  It  was  the  old  guard  return- 
ing in  good  order  from  the  battle-field.  When  the  Emperor 
heard  this  news,  he  no  longer  wished  to  start  for  Paris  ;  but 


he  was  compelled  to  do  so  by  the  majority  of  his  generals. 
An  old  open  carriage  had  been  got  ready  tor  him,  and  some 
carts  for  his  staff.  One  of  his  superior  officers  came,  and 
gave  orders  to  Colonel  Boissy  to  take  command  of  the  place, 
and  collect  all  the  stragglers.  The  national  guard  was  coining 
in  from  every  direction.  At  last  the  Emperor  came  out  into 
the  great  court  where  we  were  all  together  in  the  greatest 
state  of  anxiety.  He  asked  for  a  glass  of  wine;  it  was 
handed  to  him  on  a  large  plate;  he  drank  it,  then  saluted  us, 
and  started  off.     We  were  never  to  see  him  again. 


286       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

We  remained  standing  in  the  courtyard  without  speaking  to 
one  another.  We  reaseended  that  steep  hill  in  profound  silence, 
worn  out  with  hunger  and  fatigue.  Our  poor  horses  could 
scarcely  go  up,  having  galloped  for  twenty-four  hours.  Men 
and  horses  fell  from  want  of  food,  not  knowing  what  would 
become  of  them.  No  one  took  any  account  of  us.  We  were, 
indeed,  miserable.  A  few  brave  soldiers,  who  had  not  thrown 
away  their  arms,  were  gathered  together.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  soldiers  had  abandoned  them  in  order  to  save  their 
lives,  leaving  the  main  roads,  and  running  across  the  fields. 
When  the  officers  of  the  headquarters  were  collected  together 
with  Count  Monthyon  at  their  head,  they  started  for  Avesnes 
in  a  dispirited  condition.  By  forced  inarches  we  reached  the 
forest  of  Villers-Cotterets.  We  spent  the  night  at  the  house 
of  a  physician  on  the  edge  of  the  forest.  Count  Monthyon 
said  to  me,  "My  good  fellow,  you  must  not  unsaddle  your 
horses,  for  the  enemy  may  surprise  us  during  the  night.  I 
am  sure  they  are  in  pursuit  of  us,  and  we  must  not  undress." 
I  put  up  all  our  horses.  Fortunately,  I  found  some  hay  in 
the  house.  The  servants  were  stationed  in  the  stable  with 
the  bridles  on  their  arms.  I  set  one  on  guard  to  warn  the 
general,  and  returned  to  his  side.  After  supper  I  begged  the 
general  to  take  off  his  boots  to  rest  himself.  "  No,"  said  he. 
I  pulled  out  a  mattress,  "  Lie  down  there ;  you  will  rest  better 
than  on  a  chair.  I  will  go  and  watch  with  the  servants.  Do 
not  worry,  and  I  will  call  you  in  time."  At  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  the  Prussians  attacked  Villers-Cotterets.  They 
came  out  upon  the  main  road,  having  turned  suddenly  to  the 
right  so  as  to  shut  us  up  in  the  city.  This  was  what  saved 
us.  They  fell  upon  our  train,  and  made  fearful  havoc.  At 
this  noise  I  ordered  the  horses  to  be  bridled  and  brought  out, 
and  ran  to  inform  the  general :  "  To  horse,  general  \  the  enemy 
is  in  the  city." 

That  time  the  servants  did  their  duty  quickly,  I  assure  you. 
The  horses  were  at  the  door  as  soon  as  I  was.  The  general 
came  down  the  stairs,  and  mounted  his  horse  as  I  did  mine. 
"  This  way,"  said  he  to  us,  "  follow  me."  He  went  to  the  left 
into  a  narrow  road,  concealed   from  view,  which  ran  along  the 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  287 

edge  of  the  forest  and  the  beautiful  plain.  Three  minutes 
later  and  we  should  have  been  captured.  Two  gun-shots 
behind  us  were  platoons  of  foot-soldiers,  placing  sentinels 
everywhere.  When  we  reached  the  end  of  the  grand  avenue, 
the  general  dismounted  to  breathe  and  think.  After  that  we 
started  for  Meaux.  Desolation  reigned  everywhere.  Our 
deserters  were  coming  in,  most  of  them  without  arms.  It 
was  a  heart-breaking  sight.  Meaux  was  so  filled  with  troops 
that  we  had  to  go  on  to  Claye ;  there  we  found  the  country 
deserted.  All  the  inhabitants  had  moved  out.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  enemy  had  passed  through  it.  Every  one  was  on 
the  way  to  Paris  with  his  valuables.  The  roads  were  blocked 
up  with  carriages.  They  had  turned  their  houses  upside 
down.  The  enemy  could  not  have  caused  greater  destruction. 
We  reached  Paris  at  the  gate  of  St.  Denis.  All  the  barriers 
had  been  barricaded.  The  troops  were  encamped  in  the  plain 
of  Les  Vertus,  and  at  the  hills  of  St.  Chaumont.  The  head- 
quarters was  at  the  village  of  Villette,  where  Marshal  Davout 
was  stationed. 

Our  whole  army  was  then  reunited  on  the  north  of  Paris, 
in  that  plain  of  Les  Vertus,  and  there  Marshal  Grouchy 
arrived  with  his  army  corps,  which  had  not  suffered.  We 
were  told  that  he  had  thirty  thousand  men.  The  chief  head- 
quarters had  been  established  at  Villette,  near  Marshal  Davout. 
As  I  was  baggage-master,  I  had  the  right  to  present  myself 
every  day  to  receive  orders,  and  be  present  at  the  distributions. 
Consequently,  I  saw  all  the  deputations  arrive  :  generals  and 
great  personages  in  citizens'  dress.  Grand  conferences  were 
held  night  and  day.  I  ought  to  say,  for  the  credit  of  the 
Parisians,  that  we  lacked  for  nothing.  They  sent  everything, 
even  Bologna  sausage  and  white  bread  for  the  staff.  About 
four  or  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  saw  the  brave  national 
guards  mount  the  walls  which  enclose  Paris,  turn  to  the  left 
of  the  village  so  as  not  to  be  stopped,  and  advance  to  the  line 
to  exchange  fire  with  the  Prussians.  Every  day  I  witnessed 
this  same  movement.  <>n  the  29th  or  30th  of  June,  I  said  to 
my  servant,  " Give  my  horse  some  hay,  and  saddle  him.  I 
am  going  to  see  the   national   guards."     I   started   off  well 


288       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

armed.  I  had  two  pistols  in  my  holster.  They  were  rifled. 
A  wooden  hammer  was  necessary  in  loading  them,  and  they 
shot  at  long  range.     They  had  cost  me  a  hundred  francs. 

When  I  reached  the  plain  of  Les  Vertus,  I  had  the  old 
guard  on  my  right,  and  the  national  guards  on  my  left.  I 
went  as  far  as  the  last  of  our  sentinels  who  were  in  the  first 
line  supporting  arms.  I  spoke  to  them.  They  were  furious 
at  their  inaction.  "  No  orders,"  they  said ;  "  the  national  guards 
do  the  firing,  and  we,  we  support  arms.  We  are  betrayed, 
captain."  —  "  No,  my  children,  you  will  receive  your  orders  ; 
have  patience."  —  "  But  we  are  forbidden  to  fire."  —  "  See 
here,  brave  soldiers,  I  want  to  pass  the  line.  I  see  down 
there  a  Prussian  officer  who  is  taking  on  great  airs ;  I  should 
like  to  give  him  a  little  reproof.  If  you  will  permit  me  to 
pass,  you  need  fear  nothing  from  me ;  I  am  not  going  over  to 
the  enemy."  —  "  Pass,  captain." 

I  saw  behind  me  four  fine-looking  men,  who  were  approaching 
me.  One  of  them  came  near  me,  and  said,  "  Are  you  going 
over  to  the  line  for  the  fun  of  it  ?  "  —  "  Just  as  you  are  doing, 
I  think."  — "  That  is  true,"  said  he  to  me,  "  you  are  well 
mounted."  —  "So  are  you,  sir."  The  other  three  turned  to 
the  right.  "  What  are  you  looking  at  over  there  on  the  Prus- 
sian line  ?  "  said  he  to  me.  "  See  that  officer  down  there  who 
is  making  his  horse  prance.  I  want  to  make  him  a  special 
visit ;  he  displeases  me."  —  "  You  cannot  approach  him  with- 
out danger."  —  "I  know  my  trade.  I  shall  make  him  cross 
his  line,  and  make  him  angry,  if  possible.  If  he  gets  angry, 
he  is  mine.  I  beg  you,  sir,  not  to  follow  me ;  you  will  spoil 
my  manoeuvre.     Fall  back  farther."  —  "Very  well,  let  us  see." 

I  started  off,  having  thoroughly  determined  what  to  do. 
When  I  reached  the  centre  of  the  space  between  the  two 
lines,  he  saw  that  I  was  advancing  upon  him.  He-  thought 
that  I  would  doubtless  cross  over  to  his  side,  so  he  crossed 
the  line  so  as  to  get  ahead  of  me.  A  hundred  paces  from  his 
own  lines  he  stopped  and  awaited  me.  Having  gone  the 
same  distance,  I  also  halted,  and,  drawing  out  my  pistol,  I 
sent  a  ball  past  his  ears.  He  got  angry,  and  started  in  pur- 
suit of  me.     I  wheeled  about.     He  was  no  longer  following 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  289 

me,  but  was  returning.  Then  I  made  my  left-wheel,  and 
rushed  upon  him.  Seeing  me  again,  he  came  towards  me.  I 
sent  him  a  second  pistol-shot.  He  became  more  angry,  and 
charged  me.  I  wheeled  about  and  ran  off.  He  pursued  me 
to  the  centre  of  the  space  between  the  lines,  in  a  fury.  I 
made  an  abcut-face,  and  fell  upon  him.  He  came  close  to  me, 
and  tried  to  stick  his  sabre  into  me.  I  struck  his  sabre  up 
above  his  head,  and,  by  the  same  movement,  I  brought  my 
sabre  down  upon  his  face  with  such  force  that  his  nose  went 
down  to  find  his  chin.     He  fell  stone-dead. 

I  seized  his  horse,  and  proudly  returned  to  my  private  sol- 
diers, who  crowded  round  me.  The  fine-looking  man  who  had 
watched  all  my  movements  came  galloping  up  to  me,  and 
said,  "  I  am  delighted ;  this  is  one  of  your  tricks ;  you  know 
how  to  do  it  well ;  it  is  not  your  first  trial.  I  beg  you  to  tell 
me  your  name."  —  " For  what,  if  you  please  ? "  —  "I  have 
friends  at  Paris ;  I  should  like  to  tell  them  about  this  little 
play  that  I  have  seen.  To  what  corps  do  you  belong  ?  "  — 
"To  the  Emperor's  staff."  — "What  is  your  name?"  — 
"  Coignet."  —  "  And  your  Christian  names  ?  "  —  "  Jean 
Roch."  —  "  And  your  rank  ?  "  —  "  Captain."  He  took  out  his 
memorandum-book,  and  wrote  it  down.  He  told  me  his 
name :  Boray  or  Bory.  He  went  over  to  the  right  of  the  St. 
Chaumont  hills  where  the  old  guard  was  stationed,  and  I 
returned  to  headquarters,  leading  my  horse,  and  very  proud 
of  my  capture.  Every  one  stared  at  me.  An  officer  asked 
me  where  I  got  my  horse.  "  It  is  a  horse  which  deserted  and 
came  over  to  our  side;  I  caught  him  as  he  was  going  by."  — 
"  Good  capture,"  said  he. 

When  I  reached  my  lodgings,  I  had  some  hay  given  to  my 
horse,  and  examined  my  prize.  I  found  a  small  portmanteau 
with  some  fine  linen  and  other  things  necessary  to  an  officer. 
I  had  the  saddle  taken  off  the  horse,  and  sold  him  ;  as  I  had 
three  horses,  they  were  sufficient.  I  went  to  headquarters  to 
resume  my  office  manners.  I  found  a  great  many  people  with 
the  marshal,  some  going,  some  coming.  There  were  confer- 
ences all  night  long.  The  next  day,  July  1,  we  received 
orders  to  move  to  the  south  of  Paris,  behind  the  Invalides, 


290        THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

where  the  army  was  reunited  and  well  intrenched.  I  went 
there  after  having  gone  to  receive  my  general's  orders.  He 
sent  me  off  with  his  aide-de-camp  and  his  horses.  "Go," 
said  he  ;  "  Paris  has  surrendered.  The  enemy  is  about  to  take 
possession  of  it.  Lose  no  time ;  all  the  officers  are  to  leave 
Paris ;  you  will  be  arrested.  Go  join  the  army  which  is  col- 
lected on  the  side  next  the  Barriere  d'Enfer,  and  there  you 
will  receive  orders  to  cross  the  Loire  at  Orleans." 

When  I  reached  the  Barriere  d'Enfer,  where  the  army  had 
collected,  I  found  Marshal  Davout  on  foot,  his  arms  folded, 
gazing  at  that  splendid  army,  who  were  shouting,  «  Forward." 


He,  silent,  not  speaking  one  word,  walked  up  and  down  along 
the  fortifications,  deaf  to  the  supplications  of  the  army  who 
wished  to  advance  upon  the  enemy.  The  movement  began, 
our  right  wing  moving  toward  Tours,  and  our  left  wing  toward 
Orleans.  The  enemy  immediately  became  our  rear-guard,  and 
they  had  the  cruelty  to  seize  some  men  who  were  rejoining 
their  corps,  and  rob  them,  as  well  as  the  officers.  At  our  first 
halting-place  they  pressed  so  closely  upon  us  that  the  army 
wheeled  about,  and  attacked  their  advance-guard;  they  were 
driven  back.  After  this  they  were  not  so  insolent,  and  fol- 
lowed us  only  at  a  distance. 

We  reached  Orleans  without  being  pursued.     We  crossed 
the  bridge  over  the  Loire,  and  established  the  headquarters  in 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  291 

a  large  faubourg  which  seemed  to  be  almost  entirely  deserted. 
The  inhabitants  had  gone  into  the  city,  and  we  suffered  for 
everything.  When  we  were  installed,  we  undertook  to  barri- 
cade the  bridge  in  the  centre,  with  enormous  posts  and  two 
gates  to  resist  a  heavy  attack ;  then  the  tete-de-pont  was  put 
in  a  condition  of  defence,  and  made  to  bristle  with  pieces  of 
artillery.  We  remained  quiet  for  several  days;  the  two 
enormous  gates  opened  voluntarily  to  those  who  went  in 
search  of  provisions,  and  we  were  obliged  to  go  to  the  city  for 
them.  We  found  a  boarding-house  at  the  entrance  of  the 
principal  street,  and  every  day  the  gates  had  to  be  opened ; 
but  this  did  not  last  long.  The  great  marshal  was  seen  be- 
hind his  batteries,  his  arms  behind  him,  and  his  face  anxious. 
No  one  spoke  to  him.  He  was  no  longer  the  same  grand  sol- 
dier whom  I  had  formerly  seen  so  brilliantly  daring  on  the 
field  of  battle  ;  all  the  officers  left  him  alone. 

One  morning,  as  usual,  we  started  out  at  nine  o'clock  to  go 
to  our  boarding-house  for  breakfast.  The  rascal  came  to  us, 
and  said,  "  I  cannot  serve  you.  I  have  orders  to  be  ready  to 
receive  the  allies  who  are  at  the  gates  and  are  about  to  enter ;  the 
authorities  have  sent  them  the  keys  of  the  city."  At  the  same 
moment  there  was  a  shout  of  "  The  Cossacks  !  "  We  went  out 
with  empty  stomachs,  and  had  scarcely  got  into  the  streets, 
when  we  saw  the  cavalry  marching  slowly  in  line  of  battle, 
and  an  immense  crowd  of  people  of  both  sexes,  men  and 
women.  This  sight  made  us  tremble.  All  the  women,  richly 
dressed,  with  little  white  flags  in  one  hand  and  white  hand- 
kerchiefs in  the  other,  formed  the  van,  shouting,  "  Long  live 
our  good  allies  !  "  But  the  crowd  was  driven  along  by  the 
cavalry  close  to  the  bridge  and  past  our  gates.  Then  the 
enemy  stationed  sentinels ;  the  gates  were  closed,  and  each 
party  was  left  to  itself  on  either  side  of  the  palisades.  As 
for  the  white  handkerchiefs  and  little  flags,  our  soldiers 
seized  them  all.  The  marshal  did  not  utter  a  word ;  every- 
thing went  off  as  quietly  as  you  please.  Pains  and  pleas- 
ures are  all  over  in  time. 

We  received  orders  to  move  the  headquarters  to  Bourges, 
and   Marshal   Davout  established  himself  there;   but  we  did 


292       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

not  remain  there  long.  Marshal  Macdonald  arrived  with  a 
brilliant  staff,  the  chief  of  which  was  Count  Hulot,  who  had 
only  one  arm.  I  went  eve^  day  to  the  marshal  for  his 
orders,  and  then  to  the  post  to  carry  the  despatches.  I 
always  went  late,  and  found  the  marshal  at  table.  One  of 
his  aides-de-camp  came  out,  and  asked  me  for  my  package  of 
despatches.  "  I  do  not  know  you,"  said  I ;  "  tell  the  marshal 
that  his  baggage-master  is  waiting  for  him  at  the  door." 
—  "  But  the  marshal  is  at  table."  —  WI  tell  you  I  do  not  know 
you."  He  went  to  inform  the  marshal  of  my  refusal  to 
deliver  the  papers.  "  Send  him  in."  I  went  in,  hat  in  hand. 
He  rose  to  receive  his  package,  and  said  to  me,  "  You  know 
your  duty ;  you  were  perfectly  right  to  answer  my  aide-de- 
camp as  you  did.  I  thank  you,  my  good  fellow ;  this  shall 
not  happen  again.  Let  him  come  in  whenever  he  brings  my 
despatches ;  he  should  deliver  them  only  to  me." 

In  1815  each  day  was  only  a  repetition  of  the  last.  The 
army  was  disbanded  and  new  regiments  formed  which  bore 
the  names  of  the  several  departments.  I  was  appointed  to 
have  the  rations  distributed  each  day,  and  during  the  time  I 
stayed  at  Bourges  I  had  two  hundred  thousand  rations  dis- 
tributed to  the  different  ranks.  Often  I  could  only  give  out 
half  rations.  Then  I  had  to  call  out  some  gendarmes  to  keep 
order. 

The  marshal  kept  me  with  him  as  long  as  he  could ;  but  it 
was  intimated  to  him  that  an  order  would  be  sent  to  retire 
me  on  half-pay.  On  the  16th  of  January,  1816,  the  marshal 
sent  for  me.  "  I  was  told  to  come  ;  that  you  wished  to  speak 
to  me." —  "Yes,  my  brave  fellow.  I  am  obliged  to  send  you 
home  on  half-pay.  I  sincerely  regret  to  part  with  you,  but  I 
have  received  orders  to  do  so.  I  have  put  it  off  as  long  as 
possible."  —  "I  thank  you,  marshal."  —  "  If  you  wish  to  re- 
join the  depot  (of  the  regiment)  of  the  Yonne,  and  go  into 
service  again,  I  will  see  that  you  have  a  company  of  grena- 
diers." —  "I  thank  you ;  but  I  have  some  business  to  attend 
to  at  Auxerre,  and  then  I  have  three  horses  which  I  wish  to 
get  rid  of.  I  shall  ask  leave  of  you  to  go  to  Paris  to  see 
them."  —  "I  grant  it  with  pleasure."  —  "I  shall  only  need  a 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


293 


furlough  of  a  fortnight.  My  horses  are  valuable  ;  I  can  sell 
them  well  only  in  Paris."  —  "  You  can  start  from  here."  —  "I 
should  like  to  go  by  Auxerre."  —  "I  give  you  full  permission 
to  do  so." 

On  the  4th  of  January  I  left  Bourges ;  on  the  5th  I  reached 
Auxerre  with  my  three  fine  horses.  At  the  town-hall  I  got  a 
billet  for  five  days  at  the  Pheasant.  There  I  found  a  table 
d'hote  at  which  the  Marquis  of  Ganay,  colonel  of  the  regiment 
of  Yonne,  took  his  meals.  I  was  asked  to  his  table  for  three 
francs  a  meal ;  this  was  too  much  for  my  small  purse.  With 
seventy-three  francs  a  month  one 
cannot  afford  to  spend  ninety  francs 
for  dinners,  not  counting  anything 
for  my  servant  and  my  three  horses. 
I  could  not  begin  life  over  again, 
and  so  I  was  obliged  to  be  very 
economical.  I  wrote  to  my  brother 
in  Paris  to  send  me  two  hundred 
francs  to  pay  for  the  feeding  of  my 
horses,  telling  him  that  as  soon  as 
they  were  sold,  I  would  return  him 
the  amount.  I  received  the  two 
hundred  francs  immediately,  and 
set  out  for  Ville-Fargeau  to  pur- 
chase a  wagon-load  of  hay,  straw, 
and  oats,  for  the  inn   had   ruined 

me.  In  six  days  my  three  horses  and  my  servant  had  cost 
me  sixty  francs.  I  went  to  see  Carolus  Monfort,  an  inn- 
keeper near  my  hotel,  who  offered  to  serve  me.  "Come 
to  my  house,"  said  he  to  me ;  u  I  will  lodge  you  and  your 
horses,  and  only  ask  you  sixty  francs  a  month ;  your  horses 
shall  have  separate  stalls,  and  you  shall  eat  at  the  table 
,rhntt>."  —  "  It  is  a  bargain,"  said  I.  "I  will  go  and  send  all 
my  horse-feed  over  to  you."  —  "I  remember  you ;  you  boarded 
at  my  father's  house  in  1804."  — "  That  is  true,  my  friend ; 
but  sixty  francs  is  very  dear.  I  have  only  seventy-three 
francs  a  month."  —  "  You  can  send  away  your  servant ;  my 
boy  will  groom  your  horses,  and  you  can  get  along  on  three 


294       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

francs  a  month."  —  ''Thank  you,"  said  I;  "I  agree  to  that." 
So  I  established  myself  at  the  house  of  that  excellent  man. 

On  the  7th  of  January  I  went  to  see  General  Boudin. 
"General,  I  am  again  subject  to  your  orders.  Marshal  Mac- 
donald  has  given  me  a  furlough  of  a  fortnight  to  go  to  Paris 
to  sell  my  horses."  —  "I  forbid  you  to  leave  Auxerre."  — 
"But,  general,  I  have  the  permit." —  "I  repeat  that  I  forbid 
you  to  leave  the  city."  — "  But,  general,  I  have  no  money. 
How  can  I  feed  them  ?  "  —  "  That  is  none  of  my  business."  — 
"  What  must  I  do  ?  "  —  "  Let  me  alone.  If  you  cannot  sell 
them,  you  must  blow  out  their  brains."  —  "No,  general,  I  will 
not  do  that;  they  shall  eat  so  long  as  I  have  an  old  coat,  and 
I  will  never  harm  them.  I  would  rather  make  a  present  of 
them  to  my  friends."  I  took  leave  of  him,  and  withdrew, 
greatly  cast  down,  but  made  no  boast  of  what  I  would  do, 
and  kept  perfect  silence  on  the  subject.  When  I  returned  to 
my  lodgings  I  at  once  dismissed  my  servant.  This  was  only 
the  beginning.  I  did  not  suspect  that  I  was  watched  by  the 
devotees  of  the  old  monarchy.  Once  established  at  the  house 
of  Carolus  Monfort,  I  became  the  nucleus  of  his  table  d'hote. 
The  regiment  of  Yonne  was  quartered  at  the  insane-hospital 
at  the  Paris  gate ;  sixteen  or  seventeen  officers  came  and  put 
up  at  the  house  on  account  of  the  cheapness  of  the  board,  and 
I  was  then  the  oldest  hand  at  the  table.  I  was  obliged  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  the  new-comers.  Among  them  was 
an  old  captain  with  gray  hair,  who  sat  opposite  me  at  the 
table  every  day.  I  saw  that  he  wanted  to  become  acquainted 
with  me,  and  was  not  at  his  ease  with  the  young  officers. 
One  of  them,  named  Tourville,  a  second  lieutenant  from  the 
life-guardsmen,  and  another,  named  St.  Leger,  formerly  ser- 
geant-major in  the  line,  who  had  been  to  see  the  King  at 
Ghent,  told  a  fine  story  of  the  part  they  had  played  in  the  Mar- 
shal Ney  affair.  They  boasted  of  having  been  disguised  as 
veterans  to  shoot  him  in  the  Luxembourg.  I  could  stand  it 
no  longer.  I  felt  ready  to  jump  over  the  table.  I,  however, 
restrained  myself,  and  said  to  myself,  u  I  will  catch  you  the 
first  opportunity." 

On  Friday  Madame  Carolus  Monfort  served  us  for  vegeta- 


ilc  at  the  right  coaci 


e  princess,  sabre 


in  hand."—  Page  207. 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


295 


bles  a  plate  of  lentils.  This  threw  my  antagonists  into  a 
violent  rage.  They  wanted  to  take  the  dish,  and  throw  it  out 
of  the  window.  I  said  to  them  quietly,  "  Gentlemen,  we 
must  let  your  old  captain  decide.  I  refer  the  question  to 
him.".  The  old  captain  tasted  the  lentils.  "  I  think,  gentle- 
men, they  are  good."  —  '-We  do  not  want  them."  —  "  All 
right,"  said  I,  "  suppose  I  should  chase  you  round  the  town 
with  a  whip  ?  That  would  not  suit  you  either,  would  it  ? 
But  you  must  submit  to  it,  however.  You  understand  me.  I 
have  no  more  to  say.     I  shall  wait  for  you  a  long  time."     But 


I  waited  in  vain.     I  was  dealing  with  pewter  plates  which 
would  not  stand  fire.     The  old  captain  pressed  my  hand. 

Every  day  I  went  to  the  Cafe  Milon  to  spend  the  evening 
and  see  the  old  habitues  play  cards.  I  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Mi  Kavcnot-Chaumont.  That  excellent  man  became  very 
friendly  to  me.  After  having  taken  his  cup  of  black  coffee, 
he  said  to  me,  "Come,  captain,  let  us  take  our  little  walk." 
We  went  out  by  the  Temple  gate  and  through  some  unfre- 
quented paths  to  look  at  the  vines.  I  believed  myself  to  be 
alone  with  my  friend,  but  this  was  not  the  case.  We  saw  a 
man  lying  flat  on  his  stomach  under  the  vine  branches,  listen- 
ing to  our  conversation.     The  police  was  then  watching  me, 


296       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

and  it  was  not  long  before  I  had  evidence  of  this.  I  was  sent 
for  to  come  to  the  town-hall,  and  present  myself  before  the 
mayor,  M.  Blandavot,  a  big,  good-natured  magistrate.  I  had 
reason  to  congratulate  myself  upon  his  reception,  which  was 
exceedingly  pleasant.  "  Information  is  lodged  against  you," 
said  he.  "  You  must  look  out.  You  are  accused  of  having 
designs  against  the  government."  —  "  I  swear  to  you,  upon  my 
honor,  that  it  is  false.  I  deny  the  accuser  and  the  accusation. 
Allow  me  to  justify  myself  before  the  rascal.  Bring  me  into 
his  presence.  I  ask  neither  pardon  nor  protection.  If  I  am 
guilty  have  me  arrested:  you  are  the  mayor."  —  "  Go;  I  believe 
you,  but  look  out." 

Lovers  of  fine  horses  came  to  see  mine.  At  last  a  man 
named  Cigalat,  a  veterinary,  persuaded  me  to  sell  my  fine  war- 
horse  for  nine  hundred  and  twenty-four  francs  to  his  son 
Robin,  who  was  on  the  diligence  route.  He  had  cost  me 
eighteen  hundred,  but  I  had  to  submit  to  it.  I  had  still  two 
left.  When  the  60th  (of  the  Yonne)  had  orders  to  leave 
Auxerre  and  go  into  garrison  at  Auxonne,  I  received  the  fol- 
lowing letter  from  the  surgeon-major :  "  My  good  captain, 
you  can  bring  your  two  horses.  I  think  I  have  sold  them, 
if  the  price  suits  you  (twelve  hundred  francs,  and  eighty 
francs  for  travelling  expenses).  If  this  suits  you,  you  will 
find  us  at  Dijon.  We  are  to  be  there  to  escort  the  Duchess 
of  Angouleme.  The  major  will  take  one  of  them  and  the 
commandant  the  other.  Come  down  to  the  Red  Hat.  We 
are  putting  up  there." 

How  should  I  manage  to  go  to  Dijon  ?  If  I  asked  permission 
to  go,  I  should  be  told,  u  I  forbid  you  to  leave  the  city."  The 
devil !  that  would  spoil  it  all !  I  had  to  start  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  I  was  sleepless,  just  as  if  I  was  about  to  do 
something  wrong.  The  next  day,  at  eight  o'clock,  I  was  at 
the  hotel  of  the  Red  Hat.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  regiment  of 
the  Yonne  came  to  escort  the  duchess.  I  had  had  time  to  have 
my  horses  watered  and  fed.  The  gentlemen  were  informed  of 
my  arrival;  they  came.  When  the  big  major  saw  me,  he 
said,  u  The  owner  of  these  horses  has  not  yet  come,  has  he  ?  " 
—  "You  take  me,  no  doubt,  for  a  servant;  but  you  are  mis- 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  297 

taken.  I  am  the  owner  of  those  horses.  Neither  do  I  look 
like  a  servant.  I  am  decorated,  and  received  my  decoration 
before  you  did,  begging  your  pardon.  Which  of  these  two 
horses  will  you  take  ?  "  —  "  The  Normandy  horse."  —  "  You 
can  have  it  for  six  hundred  francs  paid  down,  and  eighty 
francs  on  time."  —  "  It  is  a  bargain." 

The  next  day  no  one  knew  that  I  had  been  absent  from 
Auxerre.  I  moved  to  the  house  of  Father  Toussaint-Arman- 
sier,  on  the  square  of  the  Marche-Neuf.  There  my  board  and 
lodging  cost  me  only  forty-five  francs  a  month,  with  a  little 
stew  of  a  pound  and  a  half  every  two  days.  I  used  to  go  to 
the  Cafe  Milon  to  see  the  old  customers  enjoy  themselves, 
without  ever  taking  a  cup  of  coffee  myself.  From  there  I 
always  went  with  my  friend,  Chaumont-Ravenot,  to  take  our 
usual  walk,  and  then  I  returned  to  the  cafe  to  stay  till  ten 
o'clock.  This  was  the  life  that  I  led  during  the  time  I  was  a 
bachelor.  Scarcely  a  fortnight  passed  without  my  being 
accused  of  something.  Then  the  accusations  became  less 
frequent.  The  commissioner  of  police  was  interrogated  as  to 
my  conduct.  I  must  say,  for  his  credit,  that  I  owe  my  liberty 
to  him.  He  became  responsible  for  me  during  the  whole  time 
that  I  was  being  watched.  He  kept  his  eye  upon  me  without 
saying  anything  to  me. 

The  Duchess  of  Angouleme  was  about  to  pass  through 
Auxerre,  and  great  preparations  were  made  to  receive  her. 
Some  men  of  the  marine  corps,  all  dressed  in  white,  were 
ordered  to  unhitch  her  horses  under  the  gate  of  the  Temple. 
As  for  me,  I  received  orders  to  appear  in  full  uniform  at  the 
gate  of  the  Temple,  to  ride  at  the  right  coach-door  of  the 
princess,  sabre  in  hand.  I  went.  Orders  are  not  invitations, 
and  must  be  obeyed. 

When  I  went  to  my  post,  I  took  my  stand  near  the  doorway, 
and  the  poor  fools  dressed  in  white  dragged  the  carriage 
slowly  by.  I,  with  my  old  mouth,  never  uttered  a  word.  She 
might  have  been  sure,  if  she  had  known  me,  that  I  would  not 
have  allowed  her  to  be  insulted.  I  always  respect  the  unfortu- 
nate. On  reaching  St.  Etienne  square,  the  carriage  stopped 
near  the  cathedral,  and  the  clergy,  with  the  cross  and  the 


298       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

great  crucifix  borne  by  the  Abbe  Viard  and  M.  Fortin,  the 
vicar,  appeared  at  the  left  doorway.  The  Abbe  Viard  pre- 
sented his  crucifix,  and  poor  Fortin,  with  his  head  bowed 
upon  Abbe  Viard's  shoulder,  was  crying  bitterly.  The  tears 
flowed  so  plentifully  over  his  fat  cheeks  that  I  almost  felt 
like  crying  too.  One  may  imagine  how  much  fun  there  was 
for  me  in  all  this.  When  all  the  benedictions  were  over, 
the  princess's  carriage,  drawn  by  the  jackasses  of  the  port, 
entered  the  courtyard  of  the  prefecture.  At  the  foot  of  the 
stairway  she  was  received  by  the  authorities,  and  slowly 
mounted  the  steps.  She  looked  pale,  thin,  and  careworn.  She 
was  conducted  to  a  large  hall  which  could  hold  three  hundred 
people.  There  a  throne  had  been  prepared  to  receive  her. 
When  my  duty  was  done,  I  joined  the  corps  of  officers  on  half- 
pay,  and  went  to  make  a  visit  to  this  unfortunate  princess, 
the  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.  Our  turn  came ;  we  were 
announced,  and  formed  a  circle  in  that  immense  hall.  She 
did  not  address  a  word  to  us,  and  looked  cross. 

About  this  time  we  were  told  to  look  out  for  some  place  to 
live,  which  meant,  "You  are  thrown  overboard."  All  the 
officers,  who  could  not  remain  in  the  city,  went  off  into  the 
country  to  live  among  laborers,  on  consideration  of  a  pen- 
sion of  three  hundred  francs  a  year.  As  for  me,  I  determined 
at  once  what  I  should  do.  I  went  to  Mouffy  to  stay  for  a 
month,  so  as  to  get  my  little  vineyard  in  good  condition, 
feeling  sure  that  by  using  economy  there,  I  could  manage  to 
live  comfortably  on  my  seventy-three  francs  a  year.  I,  as 
well  as  my  two  laborers,  made  the  handle  of  my  pickaxe 
move.  In  a  month's  time  my  little  vines  were  in  excellent 
condition.  I  did  not  leave  the  care  of  them  to  my  two  vine- 
dressers. I  showed  them  that  the  soldier  could  resume  the 
plough.  My  poor  hands  had  great  blisters  on  them  ;  but  I 
went  to  work  with  all  my  might,  saying,  "  I  have  gone  through 
many  trials;  I  will  show  you,  my  children,  that  the  earth 
must  yield  a  living  to  its  master."' 

I  went  back  to  Auxerre  on  more  serious  business.  I  had 
said  to  myself,  "You  must  settle  down,  and  marry.  You 
must  not  remain  a  bachelor  any  longer,  when  you  have   the 


NINTH   NOTE-BOOK. 


299 


opportunity  to  make  a  home  for  yourself."  But  the  impor- 
tant part  was  to  find  the  lady.  Whom  should  I  consult  ?  I 
went  to  see  M.  More,  who  was  one  of  my  best  friends.  I  had 
visited  him  since  1814,  and  had  always  been  kindly  welcomed. 
He  had  a  relative  employed  in  his  shop,  whom  he  always 
addressed  as  "my  cousin."  I  had  been  particularly  struck 
with  her  business  energy,  but  I  had  not  spoken  of  it.  This 
amiable  young  woman  found  a  small  business,  and,  without 
saying  anything  to  her  relatives,  she  purchased  it.  I  had  lost 
sight  of  her.  Happening  one  day  to  go  to  see  M.  Labour,  the 
confectioner,  Madame  La- 
bour said  to  me,  "  Do  you 
know  a  decorated  captain 
who  lives  at  Champ  ?  "  — 
"  No,  madame."  —  "  He  is 
the  one  who  wanted  to 
marry  a  girl,  one  of  our 
friends,  who  lived  with 
M.  More  for  eleven  years, 
and  who  has  just  set  up 
in  business  for  herself." 
—  "  Where  has  she  estab- 
lished herself  ?"  —  "  At 
the  corner  of  the  Rue  des 
Belles-Filles.  She  paid 
cash   for  the   house  and 

business,  with  a  good  personal  property."  —  "  Well,  madame, 
I  have  no  acquaintance  with  the  captain  further  than  having 
seen  him  at  public  ceremonies.  I  cannot  give  you  any  positive 
information  about  him."  I  bade  farewell.  "Ah,"  said  I  to 
myself,  u  somebody's  going  to  forestall  me  with  this  girl.  I 
must  not  lose  any  time." 

That  same  day  I  went  to  Mademoiselle  Baillet's  house: 
that  was  her  name.  u  Mademoiselle,  I  should  like  some  coffee 
and  some  sugar."  —  "  You  shall  have  it,  sir,"  said  she.  —  "I 
should  like  to  have  the  coffee  freshly  ground."  —  "I  will 
grind  you  some.  How  much  do  you  want?"  —  "A  pound 
will  be  enough."     And  so  I  made  her  turn  her  mill. 


Vv«p* 


300        THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

When  this  operation  was  over,  and  my  two  packages  were 
tied  up,  I  paid  her.  "  I  have  not  taken  much  ?  "  —  "  So  much 
the  worse,  sir."  — u  That's  not  what  I  came  for ;  I  want  to 
speak  to  you."  —  " Very  well ;  speak,  I  am  listening."  —  "I 
came  to  ask  for  your  hand.  I  make  my  petition  myself,  with- 
out preamble  and  without  subterfuge.  I  do  not  know  how  to 
make  speeches.     I  ask  you  this  with  a  soldier's  bluntness." 

—  "And  I  answer  you  as  frankly,  —  perhaps  I  will  give  it." 

—  "  Well,  mademoiselle,  when  shall  I  come  to  speak  with  you 
seriously  on  the  subject  ?  "  —  "  At  six  o'clock." 

At  six  o'clock  exactly  I  presented  myself.  "  You  have  not 
got  your  permit  ?  "  —  "I  am  going  to  ask  for  it;  but  first  we 
must  come  to  an  understanding  about  our  ways  and  means. 
In  order  for  me  to  receive  a  permit,  my  future  wife  must 
bring  a  dowry  of  twelve  thousand  francs."  —  "I  can  do  that," 
said  she,  "  counting  my  house  and  furniture.  So  far  we  are 
all  right."  —  "  As  for  me,  I  have  nothing  but  a  few  acres  of 
ground  and  some  vines,  but  I  have  no  debts.  All  my  little 
savings  have  been  spent  in  getting  my  vines  in  good  order ;  I 
did  not  expect  to  marry  so  soon. "  —  "  Very  well,  ask  for  your 
permit ;  I  agree  to  your  proposal."  —  "  And  I,  mademoiselle, 
pledge  my  word  to  you.  To-morrow  I  will  make  my  petition 
to  the  general."  I  was  kindly  received  by  the  general.  "I 
will  send  off  your  petition  at  once,  and  I  shall  add  a  post- 
script also."  —  u  Thank  you,  general." 

Eight  days  after  I  received  my  permit.  I  hastened  to 
Mademoiselle  Baillet's  house.  "  Here  is  my  permit ;  we  must 
set  the  day  for  the  signing  of  the  contract.  If  you  are  will- 
ing, we  can  also  fix  the  day  for  our  marriage."  —  "You  are 
in  such  a  hurry ;  I  ought  to  tell  my  relatives  about  it."  — 
"  Take  your  time,  and  we  will  settle  upon  any  day  that  suits 
you."  We  fixed  upon  the  10th  for  the  contract,  and  the  18th 
for  our  marriage.  The  contract  was  signed.  M.  Marais  was 
my  witness  and  M.  Labour  was  witness  for  my  future  wife. 
My  dowry  in  hard  cash  was  of  the  smallest.  I  said  to  her, 
"  My  whole  fortune  consists  of  four  francs  and  fifty  centimes ; 
you  will  be  so  good  as  to  add  the  rest.  I  offer  you  a  repeater 
watch,  a  beautiful  chain,  and  two  silver  knives,  forks,  and 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


301 


spoons.  As  for  inv  wardrobe,  I  need  nothing;  forty  shirts 
and  other  things  in  proportion  ;  also  seventy-three  francs  a 
month,  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  francs  a  year  from  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  and  four  casks  of  wine.  But  I  do  not  owe 
a  sou."  _  «  All  right,  sir  ;  we  will  do  our  best.*'  Everything 
was  settled.  I  went  at  once  to  see  M.  Rivolet  to  ask  him  to 
lend  me  eighty  francs  to  buy  a  shawl,  which  I  carried  immedi- 
ately to  my  future  wife.  She  was  delighted.  I  went  after- 
wards to  see  M.  More,  and  inform  him  of  our  expected 
marriage.  "  Whom  are  you  going  to  marry  ?  "  — "  Your 
cousin.  Mademoiselle  Baillet."  —  "  She  is  the  very  woman  I 
should  have  chosen  for  you,  my 
good  fellow.  I  shall  be  glad  to 
do  anything  I  can  for  you."  — 
"  I  may  have  to  call  on  you." 
—  "  You  may  rely  upon  me." 

Then  I  went  to  see  M.  Labour. 
"  It  is  to  you  that  I  owe  my 
marriage  with  your  friend  ;  you 
gave  me  the  hint.  But  for  you 
some  one  else  might  have  se-^ 
cured  her."  —  "  How  fortunate 
it  was  that  we  spoke  to  you." 
But  this  was  not  what  gave  me 
most  trouble.     I  had  to  go  to 

confession.  I  made  some  inquiries,  and  was  told  that  I  had 
better  apply  to  M.  Lelong,  who  was  a  fine  man.  I  went  imme- 
diately to  see  him.  "  Sir,"  said  I,  "  I  have  chosen  you  to  marry 
me." — "But  have  you  been  to  confession  ?  " — "No,  indeed  ;  and 
it  is  for  that  purpose  that  I  have  come  to  you.  What  can  be 
required  of  a  soldier  ?  I  have  done  my  duty."  —  "  Very  well, 
then  I  will  do  mine."  Then  he  knelt  with  both  knees  on  the 
edge  of  a  chair,  mumbled  a  short  prayer,  and,  rising  from  the 
chair,  he  gave  me  his  blessing  (which  was  as  good  as  another) 
with  my  card  of  confession.  "Tell  the  Abbe  Viard  that  1  am 
to  marry  you.  Whom  are  you  to  marry  ?  "  —  "  Mademoiselle 
Baillet."  —  "Ah,"  said  he,  "I  studied  with  her  father.  Has 
she  been  to  confession  ?  "  —  "  No,  sir."  —  "  Send  her  to  me." 


302       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

—  "  All  right.  I  should  like  to  be  married  on  the  18th,  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning."  — "  The  church  is  not  open 
till  five  o'clock,  but  I  will  be  at  the  door  with  the  keys  at 
half-past  four."  —  "  Thank  you ;  I  will  go  and  send  my  future 
wife  to  you  at  once."  —  "  I  will  wait  here  for  her." 

I  was  ready  to  jump  for  joy  at  having  got  rid  of  that  duty. 
I  went  to  see  my  fiancee.  "Mademoiselle,  I  have  been  to 
confession.  M.  Lelong  is  now  waiting  for  you."  — "  Very 
well ;  I  will  go."  —  "  You  must  go  to  his  house.  He  is  an  old 
friend  of  your  father,  so  he  told  me."  —  "  All  right ;  you  stay 
here  with  these  girls.  I  shall  not  be  gone  long."  Everything 
was  settled  in  half  an  hour,  and  the  next  day  we  carried  our 
three  francs  to  Abbe  Viard. 

I  had  got  everything  ready  for  our  departure.  I  had  hired 
a  four-seated  carriage,  which  was  to  wait  for  us  at  the  Cham- 
pinot  gate  as  we  came  out  of  the  church.  At  six  o'clock  we 
were  seated  in  the  carriage  after  having  taken  a  cup  of  coffee. 
No  one  in  the  neighborhood  was  up.  It  was  like  a  runaway 
match.  I  had  informed  them  at  Mouffy  that  I  should  bring 
my  wife  on  the  18th,  and  that  they  must  have  ready  for  four 
of  us  a  good  stew.  I  would  attend  to  everything  else.  I 
took  a  three-franc  pie,  and  we  started  off  to  dine  at  Mouffy. 

The  next  day  we  went  to  Coulanges  to  dine  with  M. 
Ledoux,  who  was  expecting  us,  and  had  ordered  a  handsome 
dinner.  His  daughter  was  one  of  my  wife's  shop-girls.  We 
returned  to  Auxerre  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  I  am 
sure  that,  including  the  carriage,  I  spent  twenty  francs  in  two 
days  for  my  bridal  expenses.  One  could  not  have  been  more 
economical.  No  one  in  the  neighborhood  had  any  suspicion  of 
it.  The  next  day  I  rose  at  five  o'clock  to  open  my  shop,  and 
my  neighbors,  seeing  me  so  early,  said,  "  The  lover  is  an  early 
riser."  The  next  day  the  same  thing  occurred.  They  never 
suspected  that  I  was  married. 

On  Sunday  we  went  out  to  make  some  visits.  Everywhere 
we  were  reproached  for  not  having  invited  any  one  to  our 
wedding.  "  Do  not  bear  me  any  grudge.  I  could  not  do  so. 
I  should  have  been  obliged  to  send  you  off  as  soon  as  we  left 
the  church.     We  could  not  receive  you ;  there  are  too  many 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  303 

of  you.  I  desire,  however,  your  friendship."  The  ladies 
said.  "If  we  could  only  have  been  present  at  the  benedic- 
tion !  "  —  "  It  was  too  early  in  the  morning  to  disturb  you." 
Everywhere  we  met  with  the  same  reproaches.  The  family 
was  so  large  that  we  heard  the  same  thing  for  three  days. 
When  these  tiresome  visits  were  over,  I  put  on  the  harness 
at  once.  I  did  everything.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  I 
was  up  and  attending  to  our  little  household  affairs.  I 
helped  my  amiable  wife  with  everything.  We  were  not  able 
to  keep  a  regular  servant,  but  only  a  charwoman  at  three 
francs  a  month.  I  put  on  a  coarse  cloth  apron  when  I  roasted 
the  coffee ;  but,  as  I  was  on  half-pay,  I  was  forbidden  to  wear 
it.     I  had  to  submit. 

I  went  to  see  M.  More,  and  asked  him  to  furnish  me  spices 
on  credit.  "  I  will  let  you  have  all  you  want."  —  "  But  no 
notes.  All  on  my  word  of  honor,  and  I  will  keep  only  a 
little  pass-book."  —  "You  can  get  all  you  want."  —  "Very 
well,  we  will  begin  to-day.  I  shall  not  buy  everything  from 
you.  M.  Labour  will  have  to  furnish  me  certain  things,  such 
as  oil,  chocolate,  and  wax-tapers."  —  "  Everything  you  want 
you  can  have." 

My  purchases  amounted  to  a  thousand  francs.  He  wanted 
me  to  buy  more.  "If  I  want  more,  I  will  come  again."  I 
went  to  see  M.  Labour,  and  made  the  same  request  of  him. 
"  You  can  get  anything  you  want  at  my  store  on  a  pass-book." 
—  "  It  is  a  bargain.  I  shall  divide  my  custom  between  you 
and  M.  More."  —  "  That's  right,  that's  all  right."  —  "  Come, 
then,  let  us  begin.  Here  is  the  memorandum  that  my  wife 
gave  me.  Put  all  these  articles  on  my  pass-book.  The  first 
month  I  will  pay  M.  More,  and  the  next  month  I  will  pay 
you.  Does  that  suit  you  ?  "  —  "  Any  way  that  suits  you  suits 
me."    His  memorandum  amounted  to  eight  hundred  francs. 

When  all  this  was  settled  I  had  to  go  back  to  M.  More. 
He  gave  a  little  toss  of  his  cotton  cap  on  seeing  me  enter. 
"  Here  is  a  memorandum."  —  "  All  right,  my  good  fellow  ; 
you  shall  have  the  things  this  evening."  I  made  quite  as 
large  an  account  with  If.  Labour.  The  four  bills  amounted 
to  three  thousand  five  hundred  francs.    This  seemed  a  frightful 


304       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

amount  to  me  ;  but  my  dear  wife  said,  "  Do  not  be  worried. 
We  shall  succeed  with  industry  and  strict  economy.  We 
shall  come  through  all  right."  How  fortunate  I  was  to  have 
found  such  a  treasure  ! 

When  we  got  our  business  well  arranged,  customers  came 
from  every  direction,  and  the  amount  of  our  sales  was  as  much 
as  we  could  possibly  have  expected  —  fifteen  hundred  francs 
a  month.  I  was  greatly  pleased  to  be  able  to  take  a  thousand 
francs  to  M.  More  and  five  hundred  francs  to  M.  Labour.  I 
gladly  made  fresh  purchases  from  them. 

I  was  constantly  tormented  with  fears  of  being  informed 
against.  When  I  saw  a  police  agent  I  always  thought  he  was 
coming  for  me,  and  frequently  I  was  not  mistaken.     My  wife 

said  to  me,  "My  dear,  you  must 
look  for  a  garden  where  you  can 
amuse  yourself."  —  "I  should  like 
to  have  one,"  said  I.  So  I  looked 
around,  and  spoke  to  M.  Marais 
about  it.  He  said,  "I  will  find 
one  for  you.  There  are  plenty  of 
them  to  be  had."  One  day  he 
came  to  see  me,  and  said,  "  I  have 
found  just  the  thing  you  want, 
near  me  on  the  promenade.  Go 
see  Father  Chopard,  the  cooper  and  wooden-shoe  dealer.  He 
wants  to  sell  his  garden."  I  went  to  see  Chopard.  "You 
wish  to  sell  your  garden  ?  » . —  «  Yes,  sir."  —  "  Will  you  show 
it  to  me  ?  "  — - "  Certainly,  sir."  —  "  Come  along  then.  If  it 
suits  me,  and  the  price  is  not  too  high,  I  will  buy  it." 

After  I  had  seen  it,  I  said,  "  How  much  do  you  ask  for  it  ?  " 
—  "  Twelve  hundred  francs."  —  "  If  you  will  come  to  my 
house,  you  can  take  my  wife  to  look  at  it.  If  she  likes  it,  we 
can  determine  about  it."  My  wife  went  to  see  it,  and  said, 
"  It  suits  us.  You  can  buy  it."  I  went  to  see  those  poor 
people,  and  concluded  the  purchase  for  twelve  hundred  francs. 
Oh,  how  glad  I  was  to  have  a  garden  !  It  was  a  barren  spot, 
but  in  a  year's  time  it  looked  altogether  differently.  I  spent 
six  hundred  francs  on  it,  and  I  made  my  pickaxe  and  spade 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK. 


305 


fly  in  it.  I  made  it  my  Champ  d'Asile.1  In  my  garden  I  was 
sheltered  from  spies.  It  was  the  delight  of  both  my  wife 
and  myself,  and  to  it  I  owe  all  my  good  health.  I  abandoned 
all  the  rest  of  the  world  (I  ought  to  say  that  I  saw  persecu- 
tors everywhere).  For  thirty  years  I  cultivated  my  sweet 
retreat,  never  passing  two  days  without  going  to  look  at  it, 
and  during  all  that  time  always  accompanied  by  my  wife. 

When  I  got  possession  of  my  garden,  people  came  to  see 
me.  They  came  to 
see  the  "old  grum- 
bler," always  at 
work  with  his  coat 
off  and  his  pickaxe 
in  his  hand,  and  so 
happy  to  own  a  lit- 
tle piece  of  ground. 
In  1818  I  made  a 
good  crop  on  my 
vines  at  Mouffy.  I 
sold  the  wine  for  a 
thousand  francs, 
which  stopped  a 
hole  in  my  debts. 
I  was  very  proud 
to  be  able  to  carry 
two  t  h o u  sand 
francs  to  M.  More 
and  M.  Labour  in 
addition      to     my 

monthly  receipts.  But  the  spies  were  always  after  me. 
About  the  end  of  September,  1822,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  a  fine-looking  man  with  full  black  whiskers,  and 
handsomely  dressed  in  a  blue  coat  and  pantaloons  of  the 
same  color,  came  to  my  house.  He  had  the  scar  of  a  sabre- 
cut  from  his  ear  to  his  mouth,  and  looked  every  inch  a  sol- 
dier.    I  could  not  resist  asking  him  into  my  little  chamber. 

1  There  wm  much  talk  at  that  time  of  tin-  Mkmy  founded  under  that  name  in 
Texas  by  old  soldiers  of  the  Empire,  under  General  LeUenUttd, 


306       THE  NARRATIVE  OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET 

"  Pray  be  seated,  and  take  a  glass  of  wine."     My  wife  said, 
"If  you  would  like  it,  I  will  give  you  a  cup  of  bouillon." 

—  "I  cannot  refuse  it,"  said  he. 

After  taking  some  refreshment,  he  showed  me  a  list  of  all 
the  officers  who  remained  in  the  town.  "  Who  gave  you  that 
list  ?  "  —  "I  do  not  know  who  he  was."  —  "  Have  you  found 
out  anything  ?  "  —  "  Oh,  yes,"  said  he.  I  said  to  my  wife, 
u  Give  him  three  francs."  —  "  Certainly,  dear." 

I  asked  him  where  he  came  from.  "  I  came  from  Greece." 
And  he  drew  some  papers  from  his  pocket,  and  read  me  the 
names  of  the  principal  officers  who  commanded  in  Greece. 
"  Permit  me  to  ask  you  this  question,  Why  did  you  go  down 
there  ?  "  —  "My  commander  took  me  there  with  him."  —  H  And 
why  have  you  come  back  here  ?  "  —  "  Because  I  saw  my  com- 
mander impaled,  and  that  frightened  me,  and  T  left  the  country 
immediately."  —  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  —  "I  have 
protectors  in  the  office  of  the  minister  of  war."  I  took 
leave  of  this  fellow,  who  went  straight  to  the  mayor's  office, 
and  brought  accusation  against  me. 

I  was  summoned  before  the  mayor  without  delay.  At  noon 
the  agent  of  police  informed  me  that  I  was  sent  for.  I  went 
with  my  cap  on,  without  even  changing  my  dress.  "  What  do 
you  want  with  me,  M.  Mayor  ?  "  —  "  You  are  accused."  —  "I 
protest.  I  ask  neither  pardon  nor  protection.  I  am  innocent. 
I  know  the  rascal.  He  has  a  sabre-cut  on  his  face,  and  he 
told  me  he  came  from  Greece.  I  gave  him  three  francs,  a  cup 
of  bouillon,  and  two  glasses  of  wine.  He  is  the  very  one 
who  has  informed  against  me.  If  you  will  permit  me,  I  will 
go  to  see  the  general."  —  "  He  knows  all  about  it."  —  "  What, 
already  ?  It  was  only  ten  o'clock  when  the  rascal  left  my 
house.  He  travelled  rapidly  :  he  went  in  two  hours.  Will 
you  allow  me  to  go  and  explain  the  matter  to  the  general  ?  " 

—  "  Go,  and  come  back  and  tell  me  what  he  says  to  you."  — 
"  All  right." 

I  went  to  the  Rue  du  Champ.  I  found  the  general  in  his 
chamber,  beside  a  bright  fire,  in  a  handsome  dressing-gown. 
"Good-morning,  general."  —  " Good-morning,  sir."  —  "I  am 
not  sir,  general.     I  am  Captain  Coignet,  who  has  just  been 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  307 

accused;  but  this  time  I  kuow  the  rascal  who  informed 
against  me.  He  is  a  police-spy  from  Paris.  He  came  to  my 
house  with  a  list  of  all  the  officers  on  half-pay.  I  would  like 
very  much  to  know  who  was  mean  enough  to  give  all  our 
names.  I  would  take  his  life,  or  he  should  take  mine.  I  gave 
him  three  francs,  two  glasses  of  wine,  a  cup  of  bouillon,  and, 
in  return  for  my  hospitality,  he  has  just  accused  me  of  ill- 
conduct.  You  ought  to  have  kept  him  here,  I  think,  so  that 
I  could  have  seen  him  in  your  presence.  If  you  have  let  him 
go  off,  it  is  high  time  to  put  an  end  to  this  business.  For  the 
past  six  years  I  have  been  kept  under  surveillance  by  you, 
without  deserving  it.  To-day,  general,  I  have  determined  to 
die,  or  have  my  liberty,  which  I  demand  of  you.  You  can 
decide  which  it  is  to  be.  I  do  not  ask  pardon  of  you.  I 
swear  upon  my  honor  that  I  am  innocent,  and  my  word  ought 
to  be  sufficient.  This  is  all  I  have  to  say.  I  will  come  to- 
morrow at  three  o'clock  to  hear  what  you  have  decided.  You 
can  have  me  arrested,  if  you  choose.  If  you  permit  me  to 
withdraw,  I  will  take  my  gun,  and  go  up  and  down  the  streets, 
and,  if  I  find  the  rascal,  I  will  shout  to  the  citizens,  '  Get  out 
of  the  way,  while  I  shoot  this  mad  dog.'  "  —  "  Come,  captain, 
restrain  yourself."  —  "  General,  if  your  police-spy  has  not  told 
the  truth,  have  a  hundred  blows  laid  on  him  with  a  good  stick, 
and  you  will  not  be  deceived  any  more."  — "  You  can  go." 

He  went  with  me  to  the  door.  I  had  hit  the  nail  on  the 
head.  The  next  day,  at  a  quarter  to  three  o'clock,  I  stood  on 
my  doorstep  waiting  for  the  hour  to  come  when  I  should  go 
to  see  the  general.  M.  Ribour  came  up,  and  said,  "  Captain,  I 
have  come  to  tell  you  that  all  the  accusations  filed  against 
you  have  been  burned  before  my  eyes ;  there  were  forty -two 
of  them.  You  can  speak  now,  and  say  anything  you  like ; 
you  will  not  be  accused  again." 

( >n  the  8th  of  May  the  hail  injured  ray  garden.  I  lost  my 
little  crop.  Those  who  did  not  suffer  from  this  disaster  at 
Auxerre  made  good  wine.  I  made  eighteen  casks  of  it  from 
my  small  vines  at  Mouffy,  which  helped  me  out  for  the  year 
1822.  In  1823-1824  I  made  a  tolerable  crop,  but  in  1825  I 
made  some  excellent  wine.     I  sold  it  to  liquidate  my  indebt- 


308       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

edness  to  MM.  More  and  Labour,  and  I  had  three  hundred 
francs  left,  which  I  immediately  laid  out  in  groceries,  buying 
not  a  sou's  worth  more.  When  I  went  home  I  said  to  my 
wife,  "  I  am  the  happiest  of  men.  I  no  longer  owe  anything, 
and  here  are  three  hundred  francs  of  fine  groceries,  for  which 
I  paid  cash."  The  king  was  not  happier.  My  little  establish- 
ment was  nicely  kept  up.  I  gave  up  visiting  entirely.  In 
summer  my  wife  and  I  started  out  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning ;  I  went  back  from  the  garden  at  six  o'clock  to  open 
my  little  shop,  and  returned  at  once.  At  nine  I  went  home 
for  breakfast. 

This  was  the  life  my  dear  wife  and  I  led  for  thirty  years. 
May  the  earth  rest  lightly  upon  her !  She  was  always  kind 
to  the  poor.  Every  Monday  she  distributed  a  wooden  bowl 
full  of  big  sous,  and  she  used  to  knit  stockings  for  the  blind. 
She  laid  by  for  this  purpose  twelve  francs  a  month.  I  said  to 
her,  "  That  is  too  much,  dear."  —  "  It  will  bring  us  good  luck," 
she  answered.  I  have  continued  to  do  the  same ;  but  I  have 
lost  two,  which  has  lightened  it  by  six  francs  a  month. 

Every  fortnight  my  wife  had  some  poor  people  at  our  table. 
I  have  laid  aside  this  habit  since  I  have  lived  alone.  I  only 
go  myself,  and  take  to  them  the  money  that  my  wife  was 
accustomed  to  give.  All  her  wishes  are  sacred  to  me.  She 
asked  me  in  a  paper,  which  is  in  my  desk,  and  which  has 
neither  date  nor  signature,  to  give  a  hundred  francs  to  her 
brother,  Baillet,  who  is  in  Paris.  That  I  pay  every  three 
months  from  my  pension,  and  also  seventy-two  francs  for  her 
poor  people,  making  a  sum  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-two 
francs  a  year. 

I  have  involuntarily  fallen  into  a  sad  train  of  thought,  which 
is,  perhaps,  out  of  place  here.  I  will  now  return  to  my  sub- 
ject. The  years  from  1826  to  1829  passed  without  any 
changes  for  me.  My  thirty  years  of  service  had  expired.  I 
had  been  looking  forward  to  it  a  long  time.  I  held  the  rank 
of  captain  fifteen  years  eleven  months  and  nine  days.  My 
services  for  thirty  years  amounted  to  twelve  hundred  francs  ; 
for  twelve  campaigns,  to  two  hundred  and  forty  francs ;  for 
six    months,    ten    francs :    total,   fourteen   hundred   and   fifty 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  309 

francs.  I  was  retired  on  the  23d  of  August,  1829,  the  date 
of  the  expiration  of  iny  thirty  years  of  service.  A  friend 
went  to  Paris,  and  attended  to  my  business  for  me  through 
his  cousin,  M.  Martineau  des  Chesnez,  who  had  charge 
of  personal  affairs  in  the  office  of  the  minister  of  war.  I 
received  this  fine  pension  in  the  Rue  des  Belles-Filles.  A 
good  many  persons  were  present  when  I  received  my  pension, 
which  amounted  to  fourteen  hundred  and  fifty  francs  instead  of 
nine  hundred  and  thirty  francs,  as  I  had  expected.  I  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  joy,  and  said,  "  So  much  the  better  !  My  poor 
people  shall  profit  by  it."  I  kept  my  word.  I  doubled  my 
charities.  There  was  in  my  neighborhood  the  widow  of  a 
soldier,  who  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  I  put  the  two  sons 
to  school,  which  cost  me  eighty  francs  a  year.  I  gave  them 
all  my  old  clothes.  One  of  them  I  must  notice  particularly ; 
his  name  was  Choude.  He  made  such  progress  in  his  studies 
that  he  entered  a  small  seminary  in  Auxerre,  and  now  he  is 
a  curate  in  a  country  parish.  I  have  never  seen  him  since ; 
but  I  did  good,  and  that  is  enough  for  me. 

There  was  great  commotion  in  France  in  1830.  The  people 
were  much  excited  against  the  old  monarchy,  and  wanted  to 
get  rid  of  it  forever.  Paris  revolted ;  she  always  gives  the 
start  to  the  revolutions.  Paris  would  like  to  change  govern- 
ment as  often  as  we  change  our  shirts.  Auxerre  also  joined 
the  movement.  There  was  great  excitement  there.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  it  was  confined  within  the  town-gates.  The 
people  contented  themselves  with  having  small  gatherings  at 
the  Temple  gate,  the  town-hall,  the  prefecture,  and  on  the 
road  to  Paris,  in  order  to  intercept  the  despatches.  They 
took  good  care  not  to  go  beyond  Mount  St.  Simeon ;  but  they 
escorted  the  mail.  Ah,  those  brave  defenders  of  their  coun- 
try !     I  watched  them  slyly,  and  followed  all  their  movements. 

The  authorities  hastened  to  restore  order.  A  national 
guard  was  formed  immediately,  and  the  elections  took  place 
as  soon  as  possible.  To  my  surprise,  I  was  appointed  ensign 
without  my  permission.  I  had  the  law  on  my  side.  I  was  at 
liberty  to  join  the  national  guard  or  not.  The  ensign's  commis- 
sion was  brought  to  me.  "  Who  gave  you  permission  to  appoint 


310       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

me  without  my  knowledge  ?  "  —  "  Everybody  voted  for  you ;  you 
were  unanimously  elected ;  you  must  not  refuse."  —  "  So  you 
are  the  masters,  are  you  ?     Who  is  your  chief  of  battalion  ?  " 

—  "  M.  Turquet."  —  "  You  have  chosen  a  good  man.  I  will 
give  you  my  answer  to-morrow.  If  I  accept  your  ensign,  I 
will  be  at  the  town-hall  at  noon." 

I  consulted   my  wife.     "You  must  not  refuse,"  said  she. 

—  "  But  it  will  be  an  enormous  expense,  and  a  heavy  task  for 
me."  —  "  Do  not  refuse,  I  beg  you  ;  they  will  think  you  have 


a  grudge  against  them."  —  "  But  they  have  made  me  suffer  a 
great  deal  by  their  tale-bearing.  They  deserve  to  have  me 
send  them  off."  —  "  No,"  said  she  ;  "  do  not  remember  that 
against  them."  —  "  But  this  will  inconvenience  us  very  much. 
It  will  cost  me  two  hundred  francs."  —  "  Do  not  refuse,  I  beg 
you." 

At  noon  I  took  my  answer  to  them.  "  Here  comes  our  en- 
sign," they  shouted.  —  "  You  don't  know  that,  gentlemen  ;  I 
belong  to  myself,  and  not  to  you.  You  have  no  right  over 
me  ;  there  is  the  law.  If  you  think  you  are  doing  me  a  favor 
in  giving  me  this  heavy  burden,  you  are  mistaken ;  but  I  will 


j 

— ■ — ■ v ' 

M 

\  » 

'8Sf      M 

! 

; 

i  if  IF     ft               '                                       vf.                            -BJ 
J                                                                     " '    ' 

mS    j»* \ jf         ^ 

^  I^^C^rY 

L    if  '     f      jV^        W     If 

'     T       ' 

1  * . 

-      -■ 

SmSES"  ■ "■  ^                          ! 

'* 

V mii  .,,«   giving  this  standard  into  the  hands  of  the  soldiir  wh 
first  man  decorated  on  the  14th  of  June,  1804."  —  Page  312. 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  311 

bear  it."  —  "  We  will  give  you  an  aide."  —  "And  this  expense 
which  I  must  incur?  You  are  all  rich;  but  I  am  not."  — 
'•  Come,  my  good  fellow  ;  you  are  one  of  us."  —  "  I  promise  you 
to  enter  upon  my  duty  at  once.  But  I  do  not  see  your  mayor ; 
lie  must  be  restored  to  his  position.  The  police-spies  drove  him 
away,  and  you  have  no  right  to  administer  justice.  If  he  does 
not  agree  to  return,  he  must  be  replaced.  You  must  immedi- 
ately appoint  an  officer  at  the  prefect's  house  to  protect  him ; 
the  spies  pointed  their  bayonets  at  his  breast  to  make  him 
give  up  his  despatches." 

They  followed  all  my  advice.  Authority  was  restored  to 
its  proper  channels,  and  the  mayor  returned  to  his  post.  The 
national  guard,  numbering  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hundred 
men,  all  dressed  in  blouses  (the  tailors  had  not  sufficient  time), 
were  called  together  to  go  to  Arquebuse.  I  received  orders 
to  go  there  in  order  to  be  received.  A  standard  had  been 
hastily  prepared  to  make  the  first  proclamations.  Every  day 
they  sent  me  up  and  down  the  streets  with  my  heavy  burden. 

But  later  it  was  still  worse.  The  town  had  a  standard 
made  which  cost  six  hundred  francs ;  it  was  magnificent. 
The  flag  was  as  large  as  the  sail  of  a  seventy -four.  It  hid  my 
face.  I  bent  under  it.  When  I  came  in,  all  my  clothes  were 
wet  with  perspiration.  One  may  imagine  how  amusing  all  this 
was  for  an  old  captain  who  had  seen  battles  enough.  It  took 
me  two  hours  to  go  over  the  town  ;  then,  when  I  got  back  to 
the  town-hall,  I  had  to  carry  it  to  the  house  of  Commandant 
Turquet  at  the  port.  If  it  had  been  kept  there,  I  should  have 
been  thankful.  I  went  beyond  my  strength.  I  gave  it  one 
day  to  M.  Mathieu  to  take  it  down.  He  could  not  carry  it  to 
its  position. 

Fortunately,  the  Queen  had  embroidered  one,  so  it  was  said, 
for  the  national  guard  of  Auxerre;  the  Duke  of  Orleans 
brought  it.  All  the  national  guards  of  the  country  districts 
assembled  on  this  occasion.  The  Prince  dismounted  at  the 
Leopard,  and  w<*  had  to  furnish  him  a  body-guard  :  the  firemen, 
the  chasseurs,  the  grenadiers,  and  the  ensign  (this  was  indis- 
pensable). We  had  to  spend  the  night  with  our  feet  in 
irater,  and  have  a  stable  for  our  guard-room.     No  one  thought 


312       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

of  us.  We  spent  the  night  shivering,  lying  on  a  dunghill. 
This  was  all  the  consideration  the  authorities  of  Auxerre  had 
for  the  citizens.  If  a  battalion  of  troops  of  the  line  had 
been  in  our  place,  the  officers  would  not  have  left  us  in  such  a 
condition.  The  next  day  I  had  to  carry  the  standard  to  the 
town-hall.  I  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  go  by  my 
house,  and  take  my  breakfast  as  quickly  as  possible,  so  as  to 
get  back  to  my  post.  I  had  plenty  of  time  to  look  about  me. 
All  the  national  guards  from  the  country  had  to  be  stationed 
on  the  right  of  the  broad  walk  of  Eperon.  When  all  were 
stationed  the  duke  was  informed.  I  was  at  my  post  to  receive 
the  standard.  The  Prince  came  on  horseback,  bearing  it  him- 
self. He  halted  in  front  of  me.  I  said  to  him,  "  Prince,  you 
are  giving  this  standard  into  the  hands  of  the  soldier  who 
was  the  first  man  decorated,  on  the  14th  of  June,  1804,  in  the 
dome  of  the  Invalides,  by  the  hands  of  the  First  Consul. " 
The  Prince  replied,  "  So  much  the  better,  my  good  fellow ; 
that  is  one  more  guarantee  for  its  being  well  defended." 
These  words  and  mine  were  reported  in  the  newspapers.  I 
carried  the  standard  for  three  years,  and  I  cannot  tell  what  I 
suffered.  All  the  quartermasters  and  corporals  trod  on  my 
feet,  having  taken  too  much  wine  three-quarters  of  the  time. 
Fortunately,  they  gave  me  an  aide  named  Charbonnier,  an  old 
decorated  gendarme.  Without  his  assistance  I  could  not 
have  served  my  term. 

The  Duke  of  Orleans,  on  returning  to  his  hotel,  made  in- 
quiries about  me.  The  next  day  we  went  to  escort  him,  car- 
rying the  flag.  When  he  reached  Paris  he  gave  an  account 
of  his  mission,  and  spoke  of  me.  The  King,  wishing  further 
information  concerning  me,  had  the  muster-rolls  in  the  office 
of  the  minister  of  war  examined,  and  found  that  I  had  gone 
through  all  the  campaigns.  He  sent  to  the  chancellor's  office 
to  make  sure  that  I  had  really  been  the  first  man  decorated, 
as  I  had  told  his  son.  All  I  had  said  was  confirmed.  He  saw 
that  I  had  been  appointed  an  officer  in  the  Legion  of  Honor, 
on  the  5th  of  July,  1815,  by  the  provisional  government.  I 
did  not  know  that  the  Duke  of  Orleans  was  interested  in  my 
favor,  and  I  did  not  find  it  out  till  1847. 


NINTH  NOTE-BOOK.  313 

On  the  31st  of  January  of  that  year  I  received  a  letter, 
and,  to  my  astonishment,  I  saw  that  it  was  addressed  to  M  M. 
Captain  Coignet,  officer  in  the  Legion  of  Honor."  I  said  to 
myself,  "They  are  mocking  me;  they  are  gilding  my  pill." 

I  broke  the  seal,  and  read  as  follows :  — 

Sir,  —  You  were  appointed  on  the  5th  of  July,  1815,  by  the  pro- 
visional government,  and  again  on  the  28th  of  November,  1831,  by 
the  King,  an  officer  in  the  Legion  of  Honor.  Consequently,  you 
ought  not  to  be  receiving  a  hundred  francs ;  you  should  receive  two 
hundred  and  fifty  francs,  which  will  be  paid  you  annually. 

(Signed)  Secretary-general  of  the  Legion  of  Honor, 

Viscount  de  St.  Mars. 

So  I  was  appointed  for  the  third  time.  But  who  could 
have  had  me  appointed  by  the  provisional  government? 
Turning  over  in  my  head  the  memories  of  past  days,  I  re- 
called the  plain  of  Les  Vertus,  the  30th  of  June,  and  the 
handsome  superior  officer  who  took  down  my  name  and  my 
Christian  names.  Perhaps  it  was  he ;  he  told  me  his  name 
also  when  he  saw  me  cut  off  the  Prussian  officer's  nose.  Ah  ! 
now  I  remember  it.  His  name  was  Bory  de  St.  Vincent. 
What  a  fortunate  thing  for  me  to  be  able  to  recall  the  name 
of  such  a  man  ! 

I  received  my  commission,  and  letters  from  all  who  were 
interested  in  me :  Count  Monthyon,  M.  Larabit,  and  my  sister- 
in-law  Baillet,  superintendent  of  a  branch  establishment  of 
the  orphans  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  in  Rue  Barbette. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  1848,  the  anniversary  of  my  birth, 
the  greatest  of  all  misfortunes  befell  me.  I  lost  my  dear 
companion,  after  thirty  years  of  happy  days.  I  was  left 
alone,  crushed  with  sorrow.  What  could  I  do  at  seventy-two 
years  of  age  ?  I  could  not  undertake  anything.  My  little 
business  was  not  sufficient  to  rouse  me  from  my  deep  dejec- 
tion. For  a  long  time  I  thought  over  the  events  of  my  ear- 
lier life,  which  now  seemed  so  far  away.  I  said  to  myself, 
"If  I  only  knew  how  to  write  well,  I  could  undertake  to 
write  the  story  of  all  my  fine  campaigns,  and  the  tale  of  the 
saddest  childhood  that  a  child  of  eight  years  ever  suffered. 


314       THE  NARRATIVE   OF  CAPTAIN  COIGNET. 

Well,  I  think  God  will  help  me."  My  resolution  taken,  I 
bought  some  paper  and  other  necessary  things.  I  set  to  work. 
What  made  it  most  difficult  for  me  was,  that  I  had  no  memo- 
randa or  any  document  to  assist  me.  No  one  can  imagine 
how  much  thought  and  worry  I  went  through  in  order  to  be 
able  to  retrace  the  whole  of  my  military  career.  I  can  give 
no  idea  of  the  trouble  I  had  in  portraying  myself.  If  I  have 
succeeded,  I  shall  consider  myself  sufficiently  rewarded ;  but 
it  is  time  for  me  to  come  to  an  end.  My  memory  is  failing. 
It  is  not  the  history  of  others  that  I  have  written ;  it  is  the 
story  of  my  own  life,  which  I  have  told  with  all  the  sincerity 
of  a  soldier  who  has  done  his  duty,  and  who  writes  without 
prejudice. 

And  now  let  me  speak  to  the  fathers  of  families  who  may 
read  this.  Let  them  use  every  effort  to  have  their  children 
taught  to  read  and  write,  and  to  train  them  well.  This  is  the 
best  inheritance,  and  is  easily  supported.  If  my  parents  had 
bestowed  this  precious  gift  upon  me,  I  might  have  made  a 
distinguished  soldier.  I  had  courage  and  intelligence.  I 
was  never  punished,  always  present  at  roll-call,  untiring  in 
marches  and  counter-marches,  and  I  could  have  gone  round 
the  world  without  complaining.  In  order  to  make  a  good  sol- 
dier, one  must  have  courage  in  adversity,  obedience  to  all 
officers,  no  matter  of  what  rank.  He  who  is  a  good  soldier  will 
make  a  good  officer.  I  end  the  story  of  my  life  July  1,  1850. 
Written  by  me, 

Jean-Rocii  Coignet. 


DOCUMENTARY   EXTRACTS. 


Statement  of  the  Military  Services  of  Coignet  (  Jean-Roch), 
Captain  on  the  General  Staff,  born  at  Druyes,  in  the 
Department  of  the  Yonne,  March  16th,  1776,  retired  at 
Auxerhe,  Chief  Town  of  the  Aforesaid  Department  of  the 
Yonne. 

Entered  the  service  as  a  soldier  in  the  1st  auxiliary  battalion  of  Seine- 
et-Marne,  the  6th  Fructidor,  year  VII.  (23d  of  August,  1799). 

YRS.     MOS.     DAYS. 

Incorporated  in  the  96th  half-brigade,  the  2 1st  Fructi- 
dor, year  VII.  (September  8,  1800)       ....     1  12 
Entered  the  guard  the  2d  Germinal,  year  XI.  (March  23, 

1803) 2         6       15 

Corporal,  July  14,  1807 4         3       21 

Sergeant,  May  18,  1809 1        10         4 

Lieutenant  in  the  line,  July  13,  1812       ....     3         1        25 
Captain  on  the  general  staff,  September  14,  1813    .        .     1         2         1 
Retired  to  his  home,  by  virtue  of  the  letter  of  the  Duke 
of  Tarento  to  the  camp-marshal,  chief  of  the  general 
staff,  dated  Bourges,  October  31,  1815  ....     2         1        16 

Total  of  years  of  service 16         2         4 

Note.  —  The  effective  service  should  be  added  to  what  is  contained  in 
this  paper,  counting  from  the  31st  of  October,  1815,  the  date  of  the  letter  of 
the  camp-marshal,  chief  of  the  general  staff,  Count  Hulot,  who  ordered  the 
retirement  to  his  native  place. 

Collated  conformably  to  the  original  as  shown  to  us  and  immediately 
copied  by  us,  mayor  of  the  town  of  Auxerre,  December  2,  1816. 

(Signed)  LEBLANC. 


316  DOCUMENTARY  EXTRACTS. 

YKS.      JICS.      DAYS. 

Campaigns  in  Italy,  years  VIII.  and  IX.        .        .        .2 
Ans  X.,  XL,  XII.,  XII.,  and  XIV.  in  the  army  of  ob- 
servation on  the  Gironde,  in  the  armies  of  Spain  and 
Portugal,  and  the  army  of  England      ....     5 
1806  and  1807,  in  Prussia  and  in  Poland  ....     2 
Years  1808,  1809,  1810,  1811    1812,  1813,  and  1814,  and 
subsequently  in  Prussia,  Poland,   Spain,    Germany, 
Russia,  Saxony,  and  Poland,  and  in  the  army  of  the 
North 7 

Total  of  campaigns 16 

Legionary,  the  25  Praiiial,  year  XII.  (June  14,  1804). 

RECAPITULATION. 

YKS.      MOS.      DAYS. 

Effective  services 16         2         4 

War  campaigns .        .16 

General  total  of  services  up  to  and  including  the  31st 

of  October,  1815 32         2         4 

A  True  Copy : 

The  Sub-Inspector  of  the  reviews, 

(Signed)  LUCET. 

December  2,  1816. 


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